Al Jazeera revisits major military, political and economic developments that took place in first month of the conflict. Published On 28 Mar 202628 Mar 2026One month into the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, the Middle East is starting to look significantly different — and the effects are being felt across the world.Energy prices are soaring, violence is intensifying across the region, and efforts to reach a diplomatic off-ramp are offset by bellicose rhetoric and threats of further escalation by both sides.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listExperts say the past 28 days have also ushered in new political, security and economic realities. Many top-level leaders in Iran have been killed, and the US has been struggling to rally allies to its aid.The death toll in Iran sits at more than 1,937 people, and more have been killed around the Middle East, including US military members.Here, Al Jazeera revisits the events of the past four weeks to look at how the war has unfolded so far.Week 1The war started with enormous US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, which the Pentagon said amounted to twice the firepower of the “shock and awe” campaign that kicked off the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Military developments:
The opening Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who served as the country’s de facto head of state as well as the top spiritual authority for millions of Shia Muslims across the world.
The initial attack also included the assassination of several top officials, including top general Abdolrahim Mousavi; Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); and Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei.
The Iranian response was quick. Hundreds of missiles and drones were launched against Israel and US assets across the region, as well as civilian and energy targets in the Gulf.
Tehran also succeeded i …
