2026 in Iran

Events in the year 2026 in Iran.

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2026 Years in Iran

Incumbents

• Supreme Leader of Iran: Ali Khamenei (until 28 February); Vacant
• President of Iran: Masoud Pezeshkian
• Speaker of the Parliament: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
• Chief Justice: Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i

Events

Ongoing

• Iranian economic crisis
• 2025–2026 Iranian protests
• 2026 Iran war
• 2026 Iranian Supreme Leader election

January

• 1 January — At least three people are killed during protests in Azna, Lorestan.
• 8 January — Internet censorship: NetBlocks reports a total internet outage in Tehran and other cities amid ongoing protests.
• 15 January —
  • The Civil Aviation Organization imposes a four-hour shutdown of Iranian airspace.
  • The United States imposes sanctions on Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani and four other security officials for the role in suppressing the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.
• 23 January — The United States imposes sanctions on nine vessels believed to be part of the Iranian "shadow fleet" used to circumvent the embargo on Iranian oil exports.
• 29 January —
  • New sanctions against Iran are approved by the European Union over its crackdown of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests and providing support for Russia.
  • The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is designated by the European Union as a terrorist organisation.
• 31 January —
  • Four people are killed in a gas explosion at a residential building in Ahvaz.
  • Two people are killed in a gas explosion at a building in Bandar Abbas.
  • Screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian is arrested in Tehran. He is released on 17 February.

February

• 1 February — European militaries are designated as "terrorist groups" by Iran in response to the previous designation on the IRGC.
• 2 February –
  • President Pezeshkian orders the resumption of negotiations with the United States over the nuclear program of Iran.
  • Interior minister Eskandar Momeni and nine other officials are sanctioned by the United Kingdom for their role in crackdown of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.
  • Ukraine designates the IRGC as a terrorist organization for its role in crackdown of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests and support for Russia in the Russo-Ukrainian war.
• 3 February –
  • The US Central Command says that the US-flagged tanker M/V Stena Imperative is subjected to an attempted seizure by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz that is repelled by US naval forces.
  • An Iranian Shahed 139 drone is shot down by US forces in the Arabian Sea. Iranian media says that the drone had been completing a surveillance mission in international waters.
• 4 February – Women are officially permitted to ride motorcycles in Iran.
• 5 February – The IRGC seizes two foreign-flagged oil tankers near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf.
• 6 February – Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States regarding the nuclear program of Iran are held in Oman.
• 7 February –
  • An executive order threatening a 25% tariff on states doing business with Iran is signed by US President Donald Trump.
  • Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi is sentenced to 7.5 years' imprisonment and two years of internal exile to Khosf, South Khorasan on charges of "gathering and collusion to commit crimes" and propaganda activities.
• 8–9 February – Four reformist politicians, including Azar Mansouri, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh and Mohsen Aminzadeh, are arrested on charges of attempting to “disrupt the country’s political and social order” and working on behalf of Israel and the United States during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.
• 11 February – President Pezeshkian apologizes to the nation for the crackdown of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests.
• 17 February – Iran temporarily closes the Strait of Hormuz to conduct live fire exercises.
• 19 February –
  • A British couple detained in Iran since January 2025 are sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on charges of spying.
  • An aircraft of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force crashes during a training flight in Hamadan province, killing one of the two pilots on board.
• 24 February – A Panha 2091 helicopter of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation crashes into a market in Dorcheh, Isfahan, killing the two crew members on board and two people on the ground.
• 28 February – 2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran:
  • The United States and Israel launch a major attack on Iran with the stated goal of regime change.
  • Explosions are reported in Tehran, as U.S.-launched Tomahawk missiles strike regime targets, including the supreme leader's office. Satellite imagery confirms the destruction of Khamenei's compound.
  • At least 85 elementary school children are killed and many being wounded as the result of an airstrike in Minab.
  • Iran launches missiles at Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, killing a person in Abu Dhabi.
  • The IRGC Navy announces the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels.

March

• 1 March –
  • Iran confirms the death of its supreme leader Ali Khamenei in a decapitation strike the previous day in Tehran by Israel and the United States. Forty days of mourning are declared. Key regime officials Abdolrahim Mousavi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Mohammad Pakpour and Ali Shamkhani are also confirmed killed after an airstrike during a meeting in Tehran.
  • The Israeli Air Force launches a new wave of airstrikes across Tehran, targeting IRGC and Basij facilities with multiple explosions reported.
  • Iran launches two ballistic missiles towards Cyprus, not far from the British military bases on the island. Both are intercepted before reaching Cyprus.
  • Iran appoints Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to an interim leadership council that assumes authority following the assassination of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, with the body set to govern alongside president Masoud Pezeshkian and chief justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i until the Assembly of Experts selects a new supreme leader.
  • Three U.S. service members are killed and five others are seriously wounded in an Iranian missile strike, according to the United States Central Command.
  • Multiple Iranian Shahed drones strike the French naval air station at Camp de la Paix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
  • The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy's lead Moudge-class frigate, IRIS Jamaran is sunk by U.S forces off Chabahar Port.
• 2 March –
  • Iran launches a missile and drone attack on the Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, causing several large fires at the facility, and forcing its closure by Saudi authorities.
  • U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer strategic bombers carry out strikes targeting above-ground ballistic missile launch sites and command and control centres in Iran.
  • Qatari-state owned QatarEnergy halts all LNG production at its Ras Laffan Industrial City following an Iranian drone attack.
  • The U.S. military says it has struck the IRGC Navy drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri.
  • Iranian semi-official news agency Mehr News Agency reports that Golestan Palace, a former royal residence and UNESCO World Heritage Site is damaged by an airstrike.
• 3 March –
  • An Iranian drone strike damages Al Minhad Air Base, the headquarters of the Australian Defence Force's Joint Task Force 633. Australian defence minister Richard Marles confirms that there were no casualties in the strike.
  • A large fire is reported at an oil terminal in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, following an Iranian Shahed drone attack.
  • A drone attack is carried out at the United States Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  • The Iranian Red Crescent Society says the death toll from Israeli and American airstrikes in Iran has risen to 787 with thousands more wounded.
  • The Israeli Air Force strikes the Presidential Administration of Iran and Supreme National Security Council buildings in Tehran with "multiple munitions".
  • The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirms the entrances to the underground Natanz Nuclear Facility in Iran have been bombed. However, there are no signs of any increase in radiation at the facility.
  • Airstrikes hit the Assembly of Experts in Qom as a meeting was being held to elect a new Supreme Leader of Iran. The building appears to have been severely damaged in the attack.
• 4 March –
  • A US Navy submarine sinks the Iranian naval frigate IRIS Dena about 40 kilometres (25 mi) off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, leaving more than 100 of its 180 crew members unaccounted for. Dena becomes the first ship sunk by a US submarine in active combat since World War II.
  • An Iranian ballistic missile hits the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the region.
  • An Israeli F-35 shoots down an Iranian Yak-130 fighter jet over Tehran with an air-to-air missile.
  • Turkey and NATO forces shoot down an Iranian ballistic missile that was about to enter the country's airspace.
  • Thousands of Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan fighters launch a ground offensive into Iran from Iraq with heavy fighting underway. Iranian forces reportedly withdraw from the city of Marivan.
• 5 March –
  • The United Arab Emirates's air defence systems intercept six ballistic missiles and 125 drones launched by Iran.
  • The Bahrain Defence Force reports that 74 Iranian missiles and 117 hostile drones haven been intercepted and destroyed.
  • Iranian Shahed drones strike Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan, targeting the passenger terminal. At least two people are injured.
  • The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reports that an explosion struck a tanker anchored in waters about 60 km (37 mi) off the coast of Kuwait, causing an oil spill from a damaged cargo tank.
  • U.S. president Donald Trump says U.S. Air Force jets will provide "extensive air cover" for Kurdish forces in any ground offensive against the Iranian government.
• 6 March – The Sri Lanka Navy interns the Iranian Navy replenishment ship IRIS Bushehr and its 208 crew members after the vessel requests assistance following the sinking of IRIS Dena.

Deaths

• 3 January – Hushang Ansary, 98, minister of finance (1974–1977) and information (1971–1974), ambassador to the United States (1967–1969).
• 6 January – Saeid Pirdoost, 85, actor (Snake Fang, Son of Adam, Daughter of Eve, Great Award).
• 8 January – Mojtaba Tarshiz, 47, footballer (Shahr Khodro F.C., Sanat Mes Kerman F.C., Gostaresh Foulad F.C.).
• 21 January – Reza Rooygari, 79, actor (Eagles, The Tenants, The Old Bachelor).
• 27 January – Parviz Nouri, 87, film critic, screenwriter and director.
• 30 January – Mohammad-Hadi Abdekhodaei, 87, ayatollah, MP (1980–1988, 1992–1996) and member of the Assembly of Experts (2016–2024).
• 6 February – Nezamoddin Kiaie, 81–82, sound engineer (A Moment of Innocence, I'm Not Angry!).
• 15 February – Enayatollah Bakhshi, 80, actor (Reign of Love, All That Is, Tangna).
• 22 February – Nasser Mohammadifar, 80, brigadier general, commander of the Army Ground Forces (2001–2005).
• 23 February – Ali Babachahi, 83, poet and writer.
• 25 February – Abdul Majid Arfaei, 86, Elamitologist.
• 28 February –
  • Hossein Jabal Amelian, military officer, chairman of the SPND (since 2025).
  • Mohammad Baseri, 53, intelligence officer (Ministry of Intelligence and Security) involved with the Disappearance of Robert Levinson.
  • Ali Khamenei, 86, president (1981–1989), Supreme Leader (since 1989).
  • Abdolrahim Mousavi, 65–66, military officer, commander-in-chief of the Army (2017–2025) and chief of staff of the armed forces (since 2025).
  • Majid Mousavi, 60–61, military officer, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (since 2025).
  • Reza Mozaffari Nia, 66–67, military officer, chairman of the SPND (2021–2025).
  • Aziz Nasirzadeh, 62, military officer, commander of the Iranian Air Force (2019–2021) and minister of defence (since 2024).
  • Mohammad Pakpour, 64, military officer, commander of IRGC-GF (2009–2025) and IRGC (since 2025).
  • Gholamreza Rezaian, military officer, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Police Intelligence Organization (SAFA) (since 2022).
  • Ali Shamkhani, 70, military officer and politician, minister of defence (1997–2005), secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (2013–2023), and member of Expediency Discernment Council (since 2023).
  • Mohammad Shirazi, military officer, head of the Military Office of the Supreme Leader (since 1989).