From First Strike To Peace Deal — The 111-day US-Iran War

After tireless peace efforts led by Pakistan, the United States and Iran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ending the months-long war that started on February 28, 2026 and rapidly escalated to the entire Middle East region.

The US and Israel had attacked Iran and targeted its supreme leader, prompting Tehran to counterattack with missile and drone salvos across the region and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for the world economy. The US responded by blocking shipping to and from Iranian ports.

Pakistani mediation efforts helped bring the parties to the negotiating table with an initial ceasefire on April 8. Pakistan is widely credited for providing the neutral platform and sustained diplomatic bridge that enabled the fragile pause in hostilities and eventual signing of the deal.

Feb 28 – the ‘D-day’

February 28 was the day the US and Israel launched their offensives against Iran, targeting what they called military sites.

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. — AFP

This picture obtained from Iran´s ISNA news agency shows the site of a strike on a girls´ school in Minab, in Iran´s southern Hormozgan province, on February 28, 2026. — AFP

Smoke rises in the sky after blasts were heard in Manama, Bahrain, February 28, 2026. — Reuters

Minab school bombing

A girls primary school in Minab, southern Iran, was struck during the opening phase, causing heavy civilian casualties and becoming one of the most sensitive incidents of the war.

A banner with a picture of Irans new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, next to a symbolic classroom of the Minab school students who were killed in a strike, in Tehran, Iran, May 8, 2026. — Reuters — A banner with a picture of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, next to a symbolic classroom of the Minab school students who were killed in a strike, in Tehran, Iran, May 8, 2026. — Reuters

Emergency personnel work at the site of an Iranian strike in Beit Shemesh, Israel March 1, 2026. — Reuters

Iran confirms martyrdom of supreme leader

Iran confirmed that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was martyred in the US-Israeli strikes.

People mourn as they gather at the Enghelab Square after Irans Supreme Leader Khamenei was martyred in US-Israel attack on Saturday, in Tehran, Iran, March 1, 2026. — Reuters — People mourn as they gather at the Enghelab Square after Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei was martyred in US-Israel attack on Saturday, in Tehran, Iran, March 1, 2026. — Reuters

Hormuz closure

Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to international shipping, turning the military confrontation into a global energy and maritime crisis.

This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC on March 2, 2026 shows smoke billowing from a vessel following an explosion from the port of Bandar Abbas along the strait of Hormuz. — AFP

Israeli army and security forces conduct a search sweep of a house that was hit by Hezbollah projectiles in Moshav Kfar Yuval in northern Israel near the border with southern Lebanon on March 3, 2026. — AFP

Firefighters inspect destruction at a site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 3, 2026. — AFP

Oil prices shoot

Oil prices remained high amid uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz.

After war, oil prices surged across world as he price per litre of unleaded petrol and diesel fuels, along with the cost to chard an electric vehicle (EV), are picture outside a Jet petrol station, a subsidiary of Phillips 66, in Brentford, north west of London, on March 5, 2026. — AFP

Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s new supreme leader

Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new paramount leader, signalling regime continuity despite the opening strikes.