The war between the United States (US)-Israel and Iran has finally\nentered a ceasefire phase after a prolonged conflict that not only\nexhausted both nations but also shook the world through surges in energy\nprices, shipping disruptions, and global economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Over more than a month of warfare, several key moments marked how the\nconflict progressed from open military strikes to a diplomatic\npause.<\/p>\n
Here are some crucial events since the US-Israel war against Iran\nerupted on 28 February 2026.<\/p>\n
The most shocking moment at the start of the war occurred when the US\nand Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February 2026. In that attack,\nAli Khamenei was killed, and Iranian state media announced his death\nearly on Sunday, 1 March 2026. The strikes also killed several top\nIranian military officials and immediately shook the country\u2019s command\ncentre.<\/p>\n
Iran then moved quickly to fill the leadership vacuum. The Assembly\nof Experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei\u2019s son, as the new\nSupreme Leader, and Reuters reported that the decision was announced on\nSunday, 8 March 2026, after a contentious process strongly pushed by the\nIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n
This event was highly significant because the first-day strikes of\nthe war not only opened a major military conflict but also directly\naltered Iran\u2019s leadership landscape. The regime did not collapse but\ninstead produced a new leader seen as remaining on a hardline path.<\/p>\n
The next crucial moment occurred when Iran closed the Strait of\nHormuz following the initial US and Israel strikes.<\/p>\n
This move immediately rocked markets, as the strait is a vital route\nfor global energy trade. Around one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil trade\npasses through it, so disruptions there directly triggered major\nconcerns.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s pressure then intensified. In the following week, senior\nRevolutionary Guard officials confirmed that Hormuz had been closed and\nthat ships passing without permission could be attacked.<\/p>\n
Iran also stated that only ships deemed non-hostile and coordinated\nwith Iranian authorities would be allowed through.<\/p>\n
The threat proved real. Several civilian ships truly became\ncasualties, including:<\/p>\n
The Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MKD VYOM was hit by a\nprojectile off the coast of Oman. One crew member was killed.<\/p><\/li>\n
The Gibraltar-flagged bunker tanker Hercules Star was struck by a\nprojectile near Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.<\/p><\/li>\n
The Malta-flagged container ship Safeen Prestige was damaged\nafter being hit by a projectile in the upper Strait of Hormuz. The\nattack caused a fire in the engine room and forced the crew to abandon\nship.<\/p><\/li>\n
The Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was attacked in\nthe Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire and crew evacuation.<\/p><\/li>\n
The ships One Majesty, Star Gwyneth, Safesea Vishnu, and Zefyros\nwere also reported to have been hit.<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This series of attacks showed that the Hormuz closure not only\nthreatened global oil trade but also civilian shipping safety. From that\npoint, the US-Iran war was no longer just a military conflict but\ntransformed into a crisis shaking the global energy and transportation\nsupply chain.<\/p>\n
The next crucial moment was evident in the surge of global oil prices\nafter the war broke out. According to Refinitiv data, Brent crude was\naround US$72 per barrel on Friday (27\/2\/2026), or before the US-Israel\nstrikes on Iran began.<\/p>\n
However, on the first trading day after the war erupted, Brent crude\nclosed up 7.26% at US$77.74 per barrel. This rise showed that markets\nimmediately recognised the conflict as more than an ordinary war, but\none risking disruption to global energy supplies.<\/p>\n
After that, the pressure continued. Brent prices kept climbing,\nbriefly touching US$119 per barrel intraday on 9 March 2026.<\/p>\n
Compared to pre-war levels, this meant Brent had surged around 65.3%.\nThis spike confirmed that markets viewed the US-Iran war as a serious\nthreat to global oil supply stability, especially given the conflict\u2019s\nproximity to the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
However, now, with the ceasefire announcement by Trump, Brent crude\nprices have fallen and are currently below US$100 per barrel.<\/p>\n
On 3 April 2026, a US F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in Iran. One\ncrew member was found first, while the other went missing for a time,\ntriggering a massive search operation.<\/p>\n
In that operation, two Black Hawk helicopters were hit by gunfire,\nand Iran also claimed to have destroyed several other US air assets.<\/p>\n
Reuters reported that the second crew member was finally rescued on 5\nApril 2026, but the rescue operation demonstrated that even evacuation\nmissions could turn into major battles, adding to US losses.<\/p>\n
Trump first threatened Iran via Truth Social on Sunday (5\/4\/2026). In\nthe post, he issued an ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz\nby no later than Tuesday (7\/4\/2026) at 8 pm Eastern US time. If not,\nIran was said to face major strikes on power infrastructure to\nbridges.<\/p>\n
However, what happened was the opposite. Just around 90 minutes to\ntwo hours before the deadline, Trump instead announced a two-week\nceasefire with Iran. From threats of major strikes that sounded final,\nthe direction of US policy suddenly shifted to a diplomatic pause.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/5-crucial-moments-in-the-iran-war-from-khameneis-death-to-ceasefire-1775645635", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }