<h1>Escalation of hostilities: Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites triggered expanded retaliatory strikes and halted negotiations.</h1> The timeline culminates in an intensification of direct military engagement focused on Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure: covert sabotage and targeted killings evolved into overt Israeli air and drone strikes in June 2025 that struck Tehran and other sites, reportedly killing senior scientific and military figures, while Iran launched missile and drone retaliatory attacks and strikes expanded to energy infrastructure, prompting the cancellation of planned diplomatic talks.