&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US-Israel war with Iran highlights: UAE closes embassy in Iran over attacks, withdraws ambassador")
US Israel Iran war LIVE | On Feb 28, the United States and Israel bombed Iran, including the capital, Tehran, in an operation that was named Operation Lion's Roar by Israel and Operation Epic Fury by the US. The Western powers described the attack as "preemptive", and Trump later said that “heavy and pinpoint bombing will continue uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary” to ensure peace in the region. The attack came in midst of nuclear talks between Iran and the US. The attack also came eight months after Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran.
In retaliation, Iran first launched missiles towards Israel and then attacked several US bases in Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain. Explosions were also heard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jordan. While Iran claimed that its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is safe, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that he is dead and end of regime is near.
The bombings are still continuing, with Israel having launched fresh attacks on Iran's ballistic missile launchers and air defence systems and Iran retaliating. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack. Meanwhile, Iranian media also claimed that the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of Khamenei were killed in US and Israeli strikes.
The major question that arises amid the ongoing operation in West Asia is that what future holds? If Khamenei is dead, who will rule Iran? How the Iran-US relations will pan out and what it will mean for regional security in specific and world geopolitics at large? All updates and analysis on the ongoing situation as Israel-US war on Iran continues
The Israeli military said it targeted and dismantled “dozens” of command centres in Tehran belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Explosions were heard earlier from central Tehran near the intelligence ministry. The targeted locations include intelligence headquarters, command centers and internal security headquarters, the IDF said.
"The strikes were directed at command centres in which IDF intelligence had identified active operational presence of Iranian regime personnel responsible for managing combat operations and planning terror campaigns against the State of Israel and regional countries," the IDF said.
The United Arab Emirates is closing its embassy in Iran and recalling its ambassador after a barrage of Iranian strikes targeted the Emirates, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
"The UAE announces closure of its embassy in Tehran and withdrawal of its ambassador and all members of its diplomatic mission, and condemns the Iranian missile attacks," read a statement posted by the foreign ministry's director of strategic communications on X.
The decision was made after "the blatant Iranian missile attacks that targeted the country's territories, which constitute aggressive assaults and exposed defenceless civilians to danger," it said.
President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that the US forces destroyed and sank nine Iranian naval ships. “I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” he said.
“We are going after the rest—They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well!” Trump added.
US Central Command on Friday confirmed that B-2 stealth bombers, armed with 2,000 lb bombs, struck Iran’s hardened ballistic missile facilities on Saturday night.
"No nation should ever doubt America's resolve," CENTCOM posted on X with a video showing a B-2 in a hangar and ready to fly.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in the ongoing US-Israeli bombardments of the country.
Three members of the US military have been "killed in action" and five "seriously wounded" in the operation against Iran, the Pentagon said Sunday, without providing further detail.
These were the first casualties of any kind among US personnel to be announced since the United States launched massive bombardments against Iran and killed its supreme leader on Saturday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday that they had attacked the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf after US and Israeli strikes killed the country's supreme leader.
"The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles," the Guards said in a statement carried by local media, warning that the "the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors".
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they have launched a new wave of attacks against the "enemy" after Israeli and US strikes which killed the Islamic Republic's supreme leader.
"Moments ago, the seventh and eighth waves of Operation Honest Promise 4 against the enemy were launched on a large-scale," the Guards said in a statement carried by local media, without specifying the targets.
Three people have been killed and 58 others injured in the UAE since Iran began its retaliatory campaign in the Gulf in response to US and Israeli attacks, authorities said.
The UAE has detected 165 ballistic missiles, destroying 152, and intercepted two cruise missiles, its defence ministry said. A total of "541 Iranian drones were detected, 506 of which were intercepted and destroyed", the ministry added in a statement.
Residents heard fresh explosions across the Gulf cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Manama on Sunday, as Iran pressed on with its retaliatory campaign for a second day, AFP reported.
The UK Foreign Office urged British citizens in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to "shelter in place" amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The Foreign Office "now advises against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE", it said on X in its latest update.
"If you are a British national in those countries, you should shelter in place and register your presence," the ministry added.
In response to heightened regional tensions and retaliatory missile strikes from Iran, the US Embassy in Manama has issued an urgent security alert advising American citizens to avoid major hotels and high-rise buildings in the capital.
China demands immediate ceasefire following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and warns against further escalation
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the ‘assassination’ of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Putin also called Khamenei killing 'cynical violation' of 'morality and international law'
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has said on Sunday (Mar 1) that the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes was a “declaration of war against Muslims.” Pezeshkian also said that avenging the killing of supreme leader was a right and obligation of the Islamic republic.
Iran's police intelligence chief Gholamreza Rezaian was killed during US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, local media reported
In a televised address, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that there will be “thousands of strikes on targets of the terrorist regime” in the coming days.
Air France cancelled its flights scheduled for Sunday to Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh as a result of Israeli-US strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliation
The Iranian Red Crescent announced that American and Israeli forces are bombing the Red Crescent headquarters in Tehran
Hamas mourned Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death. "We in Hamas mourn the passing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance," Hamas said in a statement.
The Oman News Agency said on X, “The Maritime Security Centre announced that the oil tanker (SKYLIGHT), flying the flag of the Republic of Palau, was targeted 5 nautical miles north of the port of Khasab in the governorate of Musandam.”
Iran police intelligence chief killed in US, Israeli strikes, reports AFP
Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi was appointed as new chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reports Mehr News Agency
Continuing its attack on Iran, Israeli Defence Forces said that it is targeting Tehran. Massive explosions were heard, reported AFP
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif in a post on X slammed Israel for attacking Iran as well as criticised Tehran for attack on Gulf countries. But what appeared as its diplomacy dilemma, it did not name Trump or the US
At least eight people were killed during pro-Iran protests at the United States consulate in the Pakistan megacity of Karachi on Sunday, a rescue service spokesman told AFP.
"We have moved at least eight dead bodies to Karachi's civil hospitals, while 20 others were injured in the consulate incident," said Muhammad Amin, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, adding most had bullet wounds.
Hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters had tried to storm the consulate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran.
Drones targeted an Omani port, injuring one worker, official media said on Sunday, marking the first attack on the sultanate -- which has mediated US-Iran talks -- since Tehran began its retaliation campaign in the Gulf.
"A security source reported that the commercial port of Duqm was targeted by two drones. One drone struck a mobile workers' accommodation, injuring one foreign worker, while debris from the other landed near fuel tanks, causing no casualties or material damage," the Oman News Agency said in a post on X.
Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, mourned on Sunday Iran's supreme leader and urged Iranians to remain united.
"With deep sorrow, I extend my condolences to the noble Iranian people and all Muslims on the martyrdom" of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose "unique role in leading the Islamic Republic of Iran for many years is evident to all", said Sistani, himself born in Iran.
"The great Iranian people are expected to maintain their unity, to stand firm and thwart the aggressors' sinister goals," he added in a statement.
The US embassy in Oman asked staff and citizens to shelter in place Sunday, citing unspecified "activity" outside the capital Muscat, as Iran conducts a second day of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.
"Due to ongoing activity outside of Muscat, the US Embassy in Oman has instructed staff to shelter-in-place (ie, take cover). We recommend all Americans in Oman do the same until further notice," the embassy said in a post on X.
Oman, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks, had so far been spared Iranian attacks. It was unclear what the activity mentioned by the embassy was.
Iran's army said it targeted on Sunday US bases in Iraq's Kurdistan region and in the Gulf in response to Israeli and US strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
"A few minutes ago, pilots of the air forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully bombed US bases in the countries of the Persian Gulf and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq over several phases of operations," Iran's army said in a statement carried by state TV.
Crowds gathered on Sunday in Iran's south to call for vengeance following the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli attacks, local media reported.
Demonstrators carrying portraits of Khamenei in the city of Shiraz called on the armed forces to avenge his death, while chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel", a video carried by Tasnim news agency showed.
Similar gatherings took place elsewhere in Iran including in Tehran and the central city of Yazd.
Hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters tried to storm the United States consulate in the Pakistan megacity of Karachi on Sunday, an AFP journalist saw. Reportedly 10 people were killed in the incident
A crowd of young people climbed over the main gate and gained access to the driveway of the consular building, smashing some windows.
Police fired tear gas at the protesters who dispersed, the AFP journalist saw.
Iraq announced on Sunday a three-day mourning period after the death of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that "with deep sorrow, we extend our condolences to the noble people of Iran and the entire Muslim world" after Khamenei was killed in "a blatant act of aggression".
He said the government had announced three days of mourning.
Iran's armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed along with other senior generals in US and Israeli strikes on the country, state TV reported on Sunday.
State TV listed the name of Mousavi along with defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, and head of the defence council Ali Shamkhani as among those killed during Saturday's strikes.
It said they were killed "during a Defence Council meeting", adding that other names will be announced later.
The United Nations' nuclear agency will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, aimed in part at Tehran's atomic programme.
In a statement late on Saturday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said it would convene a "special session of the IAEA Board of Governors on matters related to military strikes of the United States and Israel against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran" at Russia's request.
For the second time in the last few hours, the American base near Erbil airport in Iraq has been targeted, Fars News Agency reported. Al-Harir base is home to American special forces and commandos.
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani warned on Sunday against attempts to divide Iran following the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes.
"Groups seeking to divide Iran should know that we will not tolerate it," said Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, in an interview broadcast on state TV, calling on Iranians to unite.
AFP correspondents in Dubai heard a second wave of explosions on Sunday morning, as Iran carried out retaliatory attacks on the Gulf following US and Israeli strikes that killed the supreme leader.
Earlier blasts were heard in Dubai, Doha and the Bahraini capital Manama.
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said the transition process following the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will begin from Sunday.
"An interim leadership council will soon be formed. The president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council will assume responsibility until the election of the next leader," said Larijani, the head of Iran's top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, who was an adviser to Khamenei.
"This council will be established as soon as possible. We are working to form it as early as today," he said in an interview broadcast by state TV.
“Deeply saddened and outraged at the brutal killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei by the US and Israel that has shaken the Muslim world. The people of JK collectively condemn this brutality and the ongoing aggression against Iran, as well as the massacre of innocent girl students in Minab,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said.
“In this hour of immense sorrow, our hearts beat with the resilient people of Iran. May Allah grant strength to the oppressed, elevate the martyrs, and bring swift justice to those responsible for this,” Farooq added. “This is a moment for the Ummah to rise above divisions and stand united and register our protest and solidarity against this killing and the continued aggression in the region. Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU) has called for a complete strike tomorrow. We urge the people to observe it with unity, dignity, and complete peacefulness.”
Thousands of mourners gathered on Sunday in the centre of Iran's capital after the death of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to AFP journalists.
The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted "death to America" and "death to Israel" in Enghelab (Revolution) Square, with many waving Iran's flags and holding photos of Khamenei.
Hundreds of Iraqis attempted early Sunday to storm Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, after the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, a security source told AFP.
"Their attempts had been thwarted so far, but they keep trying," the source said.
Videos shared on social media showed protesters throwing stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. An AFP staffer saw hundreds of people holding flags of a pro-Iran armed group.
Thick black smoke could be seen over Doha on Sunday morning after several loud explosions were heard across the Qatari captial, according to an AFP journalist.
The smoke could be seen on the clear morning horizon in the south of the city after Iran targeted US bases across the Gulf states in retaliation for a massive US and Israeli attack that killed Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
Israel's defence minister hailed on Sunday the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint strikes with the United States, saying "justice has been served".
"Khamenei was eliminated... along with senior members of the Iranian fortress of terror," Minister Israel Katz said in a statement shared on social media. "Justice has been served, and the Axis of evil has taken a severe beating."
Iran has prepared for "all scenarios", including the way forward, after the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following US and Israeli strikes, its parliament's speaker said Sunday.
"We have prepared ourselves for these moments and have considered all scenarios," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a video carried on state TV, adding US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have "crossed our red lines" and "will suffer the consequences".
President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States would hit Iran with "force that has never been seen before" if the country retaliated against US and Israeli strikes that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!"
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been killed confirms state media.
Zahra Gholami
Martyr Elham Zaeri
Martyr Rabab Dehdashti
Siavash Shahbazi
Ilia Hatami, a teenager
Jafar Hatami
Abedin Gharibdoost
Hossein Ebrahimi
Mohammad Najafi (sports coach)
Rahman Mansouri
Seyed Asghar Mousavi
Sakineh Shabani
Zahra Asadinejad
Alireza Abbasi
Helma Ahmadizadeh (10-year-old child)
Masoumeh Monfared
Abuzar Amiri
Farhad Najafi
Israel's military said it was responding to Iranian missile fire on Sunday, with air raid sirens activated across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank.
The board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran at Russia's request.
Iranians took to the streets of Tehran early on Sunday to mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death.
The President, the Head of the Judiciary, and one of the jurists of the Guardian Council will be responsible for the transitional period.
Ali Shamkhani, Representative of the Leader in the Supreme Defense Council, and Major General Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), killed in attack by Israel and US.
A fresh series of powerful blasts was heard in Tehran early on Sunday, AFP journalists in Iran reported. The explosions, which started at about 5:30 am local time, rattled the city, but the exact cause remained unclear. About 90 minutes earlier, additional detonations also echoed across the Iranian capital.
Iran has now been offline for 18 hours, with an Internet shutdown put into place after strikes by the US and Israel on Saturday. However, small amounts of Web and DNS traffic are still getting through, and IPv4 routes remain available.
In a statement, Fars News Agency said, “We lost the great leader.” It said he was killed by “most evil terrorists and executioners of humanity.” “The criminal and terrorist actions of the evil governments of America and the Zionist regime are a violation of clear religious, moral, legal, and customary standards; Therefore, the Iranian nation's hand of revenge will not let go of the severe, decisive, and regrettable punishment of the murderers of the Imam of the Nation.”
US Israel Iran war LIVE updates: Iran affiliated media Fars News Agency changes its logo to black after confirming Khamenei's death
US Israel Iran war LIVE updates: Iran's supreme leader Khamenei killed, claims Iranian state media. It also said that 40 days of public mourning has been announced
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is dead but bombing will continue as long as necessary to restore peace not only in the Islamic Republic but in the region.
US Israel Iran war LIVE updates: The United States and Israel clashed with Iran at an emergency meeting of the UNSecurity Council. While US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, insisted the US military action was lawful and Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon defended the airstrikes, Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the UN called it war crime and a crime against humanity.