US-Iran tensions: Here is a timeline of key events since December 2025 protests

The war between the US and Iran is becoming a possibility, with some media outlets reporting that a strike could happen as early as this weekend. Starting in January, the US has been building up a massive military presence in the Middle East, the largest of its kind since the invasion of Iraq.

Analysts believe that, unlike in the past, this time the US could carry out a decisive strike in Iran, destroying the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme and also forcing regime change by dethroning the theocratic administration led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Recent US-Iran tensions: A timeline

December 28: Protests began in Tehran over rising prices and currency depreciation and soon spread across the country.

January 2: As protests continued to spread, US President Donald Trump warned that Washington was closely monitoring the situation. Trump said the US was "locked and loaded and ready to go" if Iran "shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters."

January 8: Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi called for nationwide protests and urged Iranians to "reclaim the streets."

January 8: Iran suspended the internet and other communication lines before launching a brutal crackdown on the protests on January 8 and 9.

January 9: Trump warned on social media that the US "is ready to help the protesters in Iran” as first reports emerged about the administration exploring military options in Iran.

January 10: Iran termed the protests a national security threat and accused the US and Israel of being behind it.

January 13: President Trump posted on social media saying that "help is on the way" for protesters in Iran and threatened military action if the killing of demonstrators did not stop. Iran's government responded by declaring they were "ready for war".

January 15: The US imposed new sanctions targeting Iranian officials involved in the protest suppression, including Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) head Ali Larijani.

January 15: The US began withdrawing some personnel from major Middle East bases.

January 19: The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is redirected toward the Middle East, transiting the Strait of Malacca

January 21: Trump warned Iran against executing protesters, saying Tehran would face harsher consequences than those in June 2025.

January 23: US sanctions target illicit petroleum traders to cut off the regime's revenue.

January 25: US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

January 25: Iran said its armed forces had entered a state of full alert.

January 27: Trump announced a second naval force was heading toward Iran, warning that failure to reach a deal would lead to a more devastating strike.

January 27: Iran began three days of live-fire drills near the Strait of Hormuz.

January 28: Trump threatened "traumatic" consequences if Iran does not agree to a new nuclear deal that includes dismantling its missile program.

January 29: The European Union designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

January 30: The US imposed new sanctions on seven Iranian individuals, including Iran's interior minister, and two entities, for the first time targeting an IRGC-linked cryptocurrency exchange.

January 30: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian told regional leaders that Iran did not seek war but would respond decisively to aggression.

January 31: Trump said Iran was "seriously" engaging in talks and expressed hope for a mutually acceptable deal.

January 31: Top Iranian official Ali Larijani suggests that a "framework for negotiations" is progressing despite the rhetoric.

January 31: Iran announced a two-day live-fire naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz starting February 1, dubbed "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz."

February 1: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei warned that a US strike would trigger a "comprehensive regional war."

February 3: A US F-35C from the USS Abraham Lincoln shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that allegedly approached the carrier group.

February 4: First indirect nuclear talks between the US and Iran in Muscat, Oman.

February 6: The first round of talks in Oman concluded. Both sides call it a "good start."

February 6: The US issued an Executive Order imposing a 25% tariff on any country that directly or indirectly purchases goods or services from Iran.

February 9: The US Maritime Administration advised all US-flagged ships to stay "as far as possible" from Iranian waters due to heightened tensions.

February 13: The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is ordered to join the Lincoln in the Middle East.

February 14: Iranian diaspora around the world joined Reza Pahlavi's “Global Day of Action" in solidarity with Iran's "Lion-and-Sun Revolution."

February 17: Second round of US-Iran talks held in Geneva.

February 18: US media reported that the Pentagon briefed the White House that US forces are operationally ready for a strike on Iran as early as the upcoming weekend.