The year 2025 was marked by major global headwinds, including the escalation of geopolitical conflicts between some of the world’s major countries. These were in addition to the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Here’s a look at the five major conflicts that erupted this year:
Iran-Israel 12-Day War
In mid-2025, the world witnessed a 12-day war between arch-rivals Iran and Israel. The conflict, which threatened to destabilise the wider West Asia region, ended after US intervention.
The war was triggered on June 13, when Israel struck several targets in Iran after accusing the country of inching close to developing a nuclear weapon. This was followed by the United States—Tel Aviv’s all-weather ally—launching a barrage of missiles on Iran’s nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
Over the next eight days, Tehran launched a barrage of missiles targeting Israel and the US bases in Iraq and Qatar. After tit-for-tat moves between Tel Aviv and Tehran, the conflict ended on June 23 as Washington succeeded in striking a temporary truce.
Israel, while agreeing for the ceasefire, maintained that it reserves the right to attack Iran again if attempts to revive its nuclear weapon ambitions. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while also giving his assent to the truce, said his country has delivered a “hard slap” to the US.
According to the Iranian government, the Israeli attacks during the conflict had led to the death of 1,060 people. At least 436 civilians were killed, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
Meanwhile, the Israeli health ministry claimed 29 people, including civilians, were killed in the Iranian strikes.