Timeline: Iran War to Peace Deal in One Frenzied Day

The diplomatic push came as Iran faced massive internal unrest, with deadly nationwide protests erupting in late December over the country’s failing economy and widespread government corruption. President Donald Trump publicly encouraged demonstrators while simultaneously building up American military forces across the Middle East, fueling concerns about potential armed intervention.

Initial Diplomacy in Muscat

The United States and Iran held their first mediated talks on February 6 in Muscat, Oman. While Iranian officials characterized the meeting as productive, the regime’s Friday prayer sermons painted a starkly different picture domestically, with then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissing the negotiations as merely part of Washington’s political maneuvering.

Tehran made clear that its ballistic missile program was off-limits for discussion. On February 17, Khamenei publicly rejected the negotiation framework Trump had outlined, delivering his rebuke directly to the Iranian people.

Deadline and Breakdown

Trump imposed a 10-day deadline on February 20 for reaching an agreement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded optimistically, stating that a historic accord to prevent military confrontation was achievable ahead of scheduled Geneva talks on February 26.

Those hopes proved short-lived. Iran rejected a White House proposal offering American investment in a civilian nuclear program in exchange for dismantling its existing nuclear infrastructure. Trump acknowledged his dissatisfaction with the Geneva negotiations on February 27.

The following morning, February 28, coordinated US and Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at his Tehran compound, triggering full-scale war. The Islamic Republic declared that no red lines remained and that all American targets throughout the Middle East were now vulnerable.

Regional Impact and Fighting

Nearly a dozen countries were forced to close their airspace as Iranian retaliatory strikes hit American allies including Dubai, causing mass evacuations of tourists and expatriates. Weeks of intense combat nearly shut down the Strait of Hormuz entirely, sending global oil prices soaring.

By late March, the Trump administration began exploring pathways back to negotiations, though Iran repeatedly denied any willingness to engage. Complicating matters was uncertainty over whether Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei—the deceased leader’s son who sustained serious injuries in the same strike that killed his father—actually held power or was merely a figurehead.

Failed Proposals and Escalation

Pakistani mediators delivered a 15-point American proposal to Tehran on March 25, calling for nuclear disarmament, missile restrictions, and limits on Iranian support for regional armed groups in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran rejected the terms.

When a 45-day ceasefire was proposed by April 6, Iran again declined, insisting it would only accept a permanent resolution. The next day, Trump issued a stark warning that an entire civilization could be destroyed if no agreement was reached. Hours later, both nations announced a two-week ceasefire.

High-Level Talks Resume

The ceasefire enabled the first in-person high-level talks since the war began, held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11. Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the meeting.

The talks produced no breakthrough, prompting Trump to announce a naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13. By April 30, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement through state media rejecting Trump’s peace conditions and vowing to maintain Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities.

Final Push Toward Agreement

Tehran submitted a revised 14-point peace plan through Pakistani intermediaries on May 18, after Trump warned that time was running out for the Iranian regime. On May 20, the president indicated negotiations had entered their final stages.

Three days later, on May 23, a Pakistani official involved in the mediation said an agreement was being finalized. That same day, following intensive negotiations, Trump announced that a deal to end the war was largely complete.

With information from New York Post