Six months ago today, the United States and Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran, assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran and attacking nuclear and military facilities across the country.
In response to these attacks, Iran launched attacks on U.S. military assets and infrastructure in the Gulf, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, triggering near-daily Israeli responses since then and at one point controlling one-fifth of Lebanon.
Since then, neither side has gained the upper hand. Months of negotiations have not led to a stalemate in the conflict, with Iran using its control of the Strait of Hormuz to squeeze Washington and global energy markets.
Al Jazeera has been tracking the first six months of the war, from the number of deaths and displacement to the shock to the global economy.
Here are some important numbers:
At least 7,900 people died
At least 4,350 people have been confirmed dead in Lebanon, 3,527 in Iran and 28 in Gulf countries since the war began on February 28, according to the latest official figures.
An additional 60 Israelis and 18 U.S. military personnel were killed in the Iranian attack. The Pentagon announced that 757 U.S. military personnel were injured.
Figures are compiled from national ministries of health and public authorities and are subject to change as the situation evolves and more information becomes available.
5,500+ attacks
The United States and Israel have launched at least 3,580 attacks against Iran since February 28, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a US-based conflict monitoring group. During the same period, Iran carried out at least 2,053 attacks across the Gulf and Middle East.
Hormuz: From 100 ships to 7 ships daily
Before the war, at least 100 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz every day, more than half of them tankers carrying tens of millions of barrels of oil and petrochemicals such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
It collapsed within days after the war began. After the Revolutionary Guards announced the closure of the strait on March 2, traffic dropped to an average of five ships a day and remained stuck in the strait during the ceasefire in April and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
A tentative agreement on June 17 increased average daily traffic to 20 trips, but it was still only one-fifth of normal traffic until the U.S. resumed lockdown on July 14, when traffic returned to five trips per day.
In the six months since the fighting began, an average of seven ships per day passed through the strait.
70 attacks on ships confirmed
Attacks on dozens of ships have also contributed to the drop in shipping.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), 70 accidents involving ships have been confirmed in the Strait of Hormuz, and as of August 26, 19 sailors had died.
The war cost the United States $37.5 billion…and counting.
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate hearing that the war so far has cost $37.5 billion, up from about $25 billion at the end of April and about $30 billion in July. He said the total includes personnel, operating and maintenance costs, as well as anticipated costs through Sept. 30, the end of the budget year.
The actual number may be even higher. US media reported that the Pentagon’s internal estimate, which includes repairing damaged US military bases, replacing destroyed aircraft and replenishing weapons stockpiles, was between $80 billion and $100 billion.
The administration has not released a breakdown by item.
Crude oil prices rose 22% from before the war
Since the start of the war, Brent crude oil has risen about 22% from $72.48 per barrel to $88.58 on August 28th. After six months of volatile trading, it peaked at $120.88 on April 30, 67% above pre-war levels.
US oil reserves at lowest level since 1982
The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the government’s emergency reserve of crude oil, has fallen to 290 million barrels, about 41% of its 714 million barrel capacity, the lowest level since November 1982.
Other countries are also releasing stocks. The U.S. commitment is the largest domestic share of the 400 million barrel coordinated release agreed to by the International Energy Agency’s 32 member countries on March 11, making it the largest emergency stock release in the agency’s history.
Israel still occupies parts of Lebanon
Despite a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel that took effect on April 17 and was renewed on June 26, Israeli forces continue to occupy and attack parts of Lebanon.
Before the ceasefire, Israeli forces occupied almost a fifth of Lebanon, about 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles). The buffer zone, which covers about 6 percent of the country, remains intact.
Three days after the US and Israel began their war against Iran, fighting resumed on March 2 after Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in support of Tehran. Israel has responded with major attacks in Lebanon that have killed at least 4,350 people and injured 12,510 in the months since, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Trump approval rating drops to 33%
President Trump’s approval rating is the lowest since he took office.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll that ended Aug. 24 found that 33% of Americans approve of his performance in the White House, while 65% disapprove, matching the low point of his first term in December 2017.
The poll found that 80% of Americans, including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, think U.S. involvement in Iran “will continue for a long time.” Only 16% of people expected the pandemic to end within a few weeks.
