diff --git a/src/js/node/timers.promises.ts b/src/js/node/timers.promises.ts
index 2074fb57ba1a..6d5edcd51bce 100644
--- a/src/js/node/timers.promises.ts
+++ b/src/js/node/timers.promises.ts
@@ -4,26 +4,10 @@
 const { validateBoolean, validateAbortSignal, validateObject, validateNumber } = require("internal/validators");
 const { resistStopPropagation } = require("internal/shared");
 
-const symbolAsyncIterator = Symbol.asyncIterator;
 const setImmediateGlobal = globalThis.setImmediate;
 const setTimeoutGlobal = globalThis.setTimeout;
 const setIntervalGlobal = globalThis.setInterval;
 
-function asyncIterator({ next: nextFunction, return: returnFunction }) {
-  const result = {};
-  if (typeof nextFunction === "function") {
-    result.next = nextFunction;
-  }
-  if (typeof returnFunction === "function") {
-    result.return = returnFunction;
-  }
-  result[symbolAsyncIterator] = function () {
-    return this;
-  };
-
-  return result;
-}
-
 function setTimeout(after = 1, value, options = {}) {
   const arguments_ = [].concat(value ?? []);
   try {
@@ -113,60 +97,21 @@ function setImmediate(value, options = {}) {
     : returnValue;
 }
 
-function setInterval(after = 1, value, options = {}) {
-  /* eslint-disable no-undefined, no-unreachable-loop, no-loop-func */
-  try {
-    // If after is a number, but an invalid one (too big, Infinity, NaN), we only want to emit a
-    // warning, not throw an error. So we can't call validateNumber as that will throw if the number
-    // is outside of a given range.
-    if (typeof after != "number") {
-      validateNumber(after, "delay");
-    }
-  } catch (error) {
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        return Promise.$reject(error);
-      },
-    });
-  }
-  try {
-    validateObject(options, "options");
-  } catch (error) {
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        return Promise.$reject(error);
-      },
-    });
+async function* setInterval(after = 1, value, options = {}) {
+  if (typeof after !== "number") {
+    validateNumber(after, "delay");
   }
+  validateObject(options, "options");
   const { signal, ref: reference = true } = options;
-  try {
-    validateAbortSignal(signal, "options.signal");
-  } catch (error) {
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        return Promise.$reject(error);
-      },
-    });
-  }
-  try {
-    validateBoolean(reference, "options.ref");
-  } catch (error) {
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        return Promise.$reject(error);
-      },
-    });
-  }
+  validateAbortSignal(signal, "options.signal");
+  validateBoolean(reference, "options.ref");
+
   if (signal?.aborted) {
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        return Promise.$reject($makeAbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason }));
-      },
-    });
+    throw $makeAbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
   }
 
-  let onCancel, interval;
-
+  let onCancel;
+  let interval;
   try {
     let notYielded = 0;
     let callback;
@@ -184,50 +129,25 @@ function setInterval(after = 1, value, options = {}) {
       onCancel = () => {
         clearInterval(interval);
         if (callback) {
-          callback();
+          callback(Promise.$reject($makeAbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason })));
           callback = undefined;
         }
       };
       signal.addEventListener("abort", onCancel, resistStopPropagation({ __proto__: null, once: true }));
     }
 
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-          if (!signal?.aborted) {
-            if (notYielded === 0) {
-              callback = resolve;
-            } else {
-              resolve();
-            }
-          } else if (notYielded === 0) {
-            reject($makeAbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason }));
-          } else {
-            resolve();
-          }
-        }).then(() => {
-          if (notYielded > 0) {
-            notYielded = notYielded - 1;
-            return { done: false, value: value };
-          } else if (signal?.aborted) {
-            throw $makeAbortError(undefined, { cause: signal.reason });
-          }
-          return { done: true };
-        });
-      },
-      return: function () {
-        clearInterval(interval);
-        signal?.removeEventListener("abort", onCancel);
-        return Promise.$resolve({});
-      },
-    });
-  } catch {
-    return asyncIterator({
-      next: function () {
-        clearInterval(interval);
-        signal?.removeEventListener("abort", onCancel);
-      },
-    });
+    while (!signal?.aborted) {
+      if (notYielded === 0) {
+        await new Promise(resolve => (callback = resolve));
+      }
+      for (; notYielded > 0; notYielded--) {
+        yield value;
+      }
+    }
+    throw $makeAbortError(undefined, { cause: signal?.reason });
+  } finally {
+    clearInterval(interval);
+    signal?.removeEventListener("abort", onCancel);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/test/js/node/timers.promises/timers.promises.test.ts b/test/js/node/timers.promises/timers.promises.test.ts
index 06b210416413..62606a571c2e 100644
--- a/test/js/node/timers.promises/timers.promises.test.ts
+++ b/test/js/node/timers.promises/timers.promises.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "bun:test";
+import { bunEnv, bunExe } from "harness";
 import { setImmediate, setInterval, setTimeout } from "node:timers/promises";
 
+const bound = <T>(p: Promise<T>, ms: number) =>
+  Promise.race([
+    p.then(
+      v => ["settled", v] as const,
+      e => ["rejected", e] as const,
+    ),
+    setTimeout(ms, ["TIMEOUT"] as const),
+  ]);
+
 describe("setTimeout", () => {
   it("abort() does not emit global error", async () => {
     let unhandledRejectionCaught = false;
@@ -103,4 +113,101 @@ describe("setInterval", () => {
       await iterator.return!();
     }
   });
+
+  it("does not arm the interval until the iterator is first consumed", async () => {
+    // An async iterator that is created but never iterated must not keep the event loop alive.
+    // Node arms the underlying interval lazily on the first next() (async generator semantics).
+    const src = `
+      const { setInterval } = require("node:timers/promises");
+      const it = setInterval(100000);
+      void it;
+      const t = setTimeout(() => { console.log("STILL_ALIVE"); process.exit(1); }, 2000);
+      t.unref();
+      console.log("created");
+    `;
+    await using proc = Bun.spawn({
+      cmd: [bunExe(), "-e", src],
+      env: bunEnv,
+      stdout: "pipe",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    });
+    const [stdout, stderr, exitCode] = await Promise.all([proc.stdout.text(), proc.stderr.text(), proc.exited]);
+    expect(stderr).toBe("");
+    expect(stdout).toBe("created\n");
+    expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it("settles every concurrent next() call", async () => {
+    const it = setInterval(10, "tick");
+    try {
+      const first = it.next();
+      const second = it.next();
+      const third = it.next();
+      expect(await bound(first, 500)).toEqual(["settled", { done: false, value: "tick" }]);
+      expect(await bound(second, 500)).toEqual(["settled", { done: false, value: "tick" }]);
+      expect(await bound(third, 500)).toEqual(["settled", { done: false, value: "tick" }]);
+    } finally {
+      await it.return();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("return(value) resolves { value, done: true }", async () => {
+    const it = setInterval(10, "x");
+    await it.next();
+    expect(await it.return("RV")).toEqual({ value: "RV", done: true });
+    expect(await it.return("again")).toEqual({ value: "again", done: true });
+  });
+
+  it("next() after return() resolves { done: true }", async () => {
+    const it = setInterval(10, "x");
+    await it.next();
+    await it.return();
+    expect(await bound(it.next(), 500)).toEqual(["settled", { value: undefined, done: true }]);
+  });
+
+  it("next() after return() does not yield buffered ticks", async () => {
+    const it = setInterval(1, "buf");
+    await it.next();
+    await it.next();
+    await setTimeout(50);
+    await it.return();
+    expect(await bound(it.next(), 500)).toEqual(["settled", { value: undefined, done: true }]);
+  });
+
+  it("second for-await over the same iterator completes immediately", async () => {
+    const it = setInterval(10, "y");
+    let count = 0;
+    for await (const _ of it) {
+      if (++count >= 2) break;
+    }
+    expect(count).toBe(2);
+    let count2 = 0;
+    const loop = (async () => {
+      for await (const _ of it) count2++;
+    })();
+    expect(await bound(loop, 500)).toEqual(["settled", undefined]);
+    expect(count2).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it("has a throw() method that rejects and closes the iterator", async () => {
+    const it = setInterval(10, "x");
+    expect(typeof it.throw).toBe("function");
+    await it.next();
+    const err = new Error("boom");
+    const r = await bound(it.throw(err), 500);
+    expect(r[0]).toBe("rejected");
+    expect(r[1]).toBe(err);
+    expect(await bound(it.next(), 500)).toEqual(["settled", { value: undefined, done: true }]);
+  });
+
+  it("abort rejects a pending next() and subsequent next() resolves done", async () => {
+    const ac = new AbortController();
+    const it = setInterval(100, "tick", { signal: ac.signal });
+    const p = it.next();
+    ac.abort();
+    const r = await bound(p, 500);
+    expect(r[0]).toBe("rejected");
+    expect((r[1] as Error).name).toBe("AbortError");
+    expect(await bound(it.next(), 500)).toEqual(["settled", { value: undefined, done: true }]);
+  });
 });