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The conflict erupted on 28 February 2026 when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and prompting Tehran to close the vital Strait of Hormuz to all foreign shipping, a move the IRGC enforced by threatening to set fire to unauthorized vessels. In response, the US began an aerial campaign on 19 March to reopen the passage, with Israel also assassinating naval commander Alireza Tangsiri, though Trump's plea for military help from NATO allies like Germany and the UK was rejected on 16 March. After failed diplomatic talks, the US imposed a naval blockade on 13 April and began clearing mines, but paused the "Project Freedom" operation in May to seek a deal, leading Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to sign a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding on 17 June to end the war and reopen the strait. However, this ceasefire collapsed in July following fresh attacks on commercial ships and US bases, prompting the reinstatement of the naval blockade. By 25 August, US Navy underwater drones had identified and cleared over 100 suspected mines from the strait's main shipping lanes, with Trump vowing to destroy any Iranian vessels attempting to lay more, highlighting the strategic waterway's critical role in global oil shipping.