On June 26, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted on X, declaring victory over the "Zionist regime" and rejecting US President Donald Trump's calls for surrender. Later that day, in a televised address, he claimed that Iran had struck “a large number of military and other targets” across Israel with missiles. This marked his first public statement following the US-brokered ceasefire with Israel that began on June 24.
These developments add to a long history of conflict between Israel and Iran, which has escalated recently amid Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. One of the first nations to recognize the state of Israel, Iran took a sharp turn after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Today, Iran is one of the strongest advocates of Palestinian resistance against Israeli forces in Gaza, further aggravating tensions between Israel and Iran.
So, what exactly happened between the nations that lead to a war? Click on to find out.