Iran vows revenge for Khamenei killing “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg”
Dubai: Iran vowed revenge on Sunday after the killing of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed by state officials and US President Donald Trump, traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by a surprise US and Israeli bombardment, and rained missiles on other Gulf nations. The US military said three service members have been killed, the first known American casual ties from the conflict. In Israel, nine people died in the city of Beit Shemesh in an Iranian missile strike. Other Gulf nations began counting their dead from Iranian retaliatory strikes while Israel pledged "non stop" strikes against Iran. Iranian authorities said more than 200 people had been killed since the start of the strikes, including six senior officials apart from Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran formed a new governing council comprising senior cleric Ayatollah Aoreza Arafi, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian and Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, head of the judiciary. A senior US official said that “new potential leadership" in Iran has suggested they are open for talks with the US. Tehran attacked the UAE but said it is attacking US bases located in those countries.
An Oman port and an oil tanker off its coast were attacked Sunday, official media said, marking the first strikes on the sultanate -- which mediated US-Iran talks -- since Tehran launched a retaliation campaign.
Iran's continued Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.
"A security source reported that the commercial port of Duqm was targeted by two drones," the Oman News Agency said in a social media post.
"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," it added.
Shortly after, Oman said an oil tanker was targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated and four of them were injured, the news agency reported.
What to know so far:
- How we got here: The joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, which officials say was planned for months, followed unsuccessful negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program and warnings from Trump. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting U.S. military installations in the region.
- Arafi to lead temporarily: Alireza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as the jurist member of Iran’s Leadership Council, a body tasked with fulfilling the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader, Reuters report said citing ISNA news agency.
- Violence in Pakistan: At least six people have been killed in Karachi after protesters stormed the US Consulate in response to the killing of Khamenei. Local authorities report the situation is currently under “control” but remains volatile.
- Regional retaliation: Iran has launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes. Explosions have been reported for a second consecutive day in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.
- Humanitarian toll: The Iranian Red Crescent reports over 201 fatalities nationwide, including a strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran with at least 85 feared dead.
- Airport Disruptions in Gulf: Major flight cancellations reported at Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai airports due to ongoing drone activity and interceptions by Saudi and Jordanian defences.
- Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister killed in airstrike: Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister were killed in an airstrike targeting a meeting of the country’s defense council, Iranian state television reported Sunday.
Live Updates
- 1 March 2026 10:14 PM IST
Russia and China criticize US-Israeli strikes
Top diplomats from Russia and China slammed Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran as a gross violation of international law.
Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi “condemned the massive military strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iranian territory, carried out despite Tehran’s openness to dialogue,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The ministers said they would coordinate actions at the U.N. Security Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other bodies. They did not specify steps that Moscow and Beijing plan to take. — AP
- 1 March 2026 10:13 PM IST
Jubilant celebrations in Paris call for regime change in Iran
Members of the large Iranian diaspora and their French supporters marched through Paris on Sunday to celebrate the U.S. and Israeli strikes and express hope for regime change in Iran.
Waving Iranian, Israeli, American and French flags, the crowd chanted ''Freedom for Iran!’'
A small counterprotest Sunday by left-wing groups denounced ''American imperialism’’ and warned of broader war.
The gatherings were peaceful. The French government has put police on alert. — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:54 PM IST
Trump says 'will be talking' to Iranian leaders: Report
PALM BEACH, United States: US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would "be talking" to Iranian leaders but was vague on the timing and noted that much of the country's leadership was dead.
"They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner," Trump was quoted as saying by The Atlantic.
Asked when talks might take place, Trump said "I can't tell you. — AFP
- 1 March 2026 9:46 PM IST
Reza Pahlavi claims he’s taking charge of power transition in Iran
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, claims he is taking charge of the transition to a new government.
He tells Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that “this is time now for a very strong, stable transition. I am leading this transition. I have the support of millions of Iranian people. I have the people inside the country that are joining … the military will side with us. We have a plan of action and a transition plan.”
He says that process would lead ultimately “to a democratic outcome so the Iranian people get to choose their future government and system.”
Asked how long his transitional leadership would be, he said that “to be realistic from the time that we start until the day we can have the final referendum, I anticipate a period that should be longer than a couple of years at the most. But what’s critical is the first 100 days.” — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:42 PM IST
Iran vows revenge after the killing of its top leader and trades strikes with Israel in widening war
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Iran vowed revenge Sunday after the killing of its supreme leader and traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by a surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment a day earlier.
Blasts in Tehran sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky in an area where there are government buildings. Iranian authorities say more than 200 people have been killed since the start of the U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior leaders. Earlier, Iran fired missiles at an ever-widening list of targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states in retaliation while Israel pledged "non-stop" strikes against Iran's leaders and military.
In Israel, loud explosions caused by missile impacts or interceptions could be heard in Tel Aviv. Israel’s rescue services said eight people were killed and 28 wounded in a strike that hit a synagogue in the central town of Beit Shemesh, bringing the overall death toll in the country to 10.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded message aired on state television that a new leadership council had begun its work, and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new supreme leader would be chosen in “one or two days.”
The strikes and counterattacks underscored how the killing of Khamenei, and U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for the overthrow of the decades-old Islamic Republic, carried the potential for a prolonged conflict that could envelop the Middle East.
It's the second time in eight months that the U.S. and Israel have teamed up to use military force against Iran, and a startling show of military might for an American president who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars.”
In the 12-day war in June, Israeli and American strikes greatly weakened Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. But the killing of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for more than three decades, creates a leadership vacuum, increasing the risk of regional instability.
Iran vows revenge for Khamenei killing “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”
Trump warned that any retaliation would only lead to further escalation.
“THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT,” Trump fired back in a social media post. “IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
In a sign of how the attack could stoke regional unrest, hundreds of people stormed the U.S. Consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Sunday. Police and paramilitary forces used batons and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, and at least nine people were killed in the clashes, authorities said.
Iran retaliates with missiles and drone attacks As U.S. and Israeli strikes have pounded Iran, the Islamic Republic has retaliated with missiles and drone attacks on Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting U.S. forces.
The air war could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. Around 20% of the world's traded oil passes through the vital waterway, and oil prices are already set for swings .
In repeated barrages across Israel, at least 10 people were killed and more than 120 injured, according to authorities. Many missiles were intercepted, the military said.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel will have “a non-stop air train” of strikes against military and leadership targets in Iran. — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:39 PM IST
Texas bar shooting may be 'act of terrorism': FBI
HOUSTON: A shooting overnight at a bar in Austin, Texas, that left three people dead, including the gunman, may have been an "act of terrorism," the FBI said Sunday.
"It's still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism," FBI special agent Alex Doran said.
"In terms of specifically what type of terrorism, we're just at this point prepared to say that it was potentially an act of terrorism," Doran told reporters. — AFP
- 1 March 2026 9:33 PM IST
Iran’s foreign minister says the country’s military remains in place
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that despite the attacks on his country, “nothing has changed in our … military capability.”
He tells ABC’s “This Week” that in only a few hours after Iran was struck, Tehran retaliated against Israeli targets and American bases “and we have continued to do so. So, our military is in place. They are capable enough to defend our country.”
Asked whether a diplomatic deal with the Trump administration was still possible, he said, “We negotiated with the United States twice in the past 12 months. And in both cases, they attacked us in the middle of negotiation. And that has become a very bitter experience for us.”
He said “a deal was at our reach, and we left Geneva happily with the understanding that we can reach a deal next time we meet.” — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:30 PM IST
Qatar soccer federation postpones all matches amid global tensions following the strikes on Iran
DOHA, Qatar: The Qatar soccer federation postponed all tournaments and matches until further notice on Sunday amid global tensions following the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.
The QFA did not specifically mention the strikes when it announced the postponements on X , adding only that “new dates for the resumption of competitions will be announced in due course.”
There are disruptions at Qatar’s Doha airport as the strikes on Iran affected flights across the Middle East and beyond. Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar closed their airspace on Saturday.
Iranian missiles could be seen being intercepted above Doha on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Earlier on Sunday, Asian soccer's governing body postponed continental club championship playoffs scheduled in the Middle East this week, saying AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 games will be rescheduled.
Formula 1 season approaching The Formula 1 season is scheduled to start next Sunday in Melbourne, Australia, and then has races in Bahrain on April 12 and Saudi Arabia the following week. The season ends with back-to-back races in Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6).
With Doha and Dubai traditionally acting as major stopover hubs, teams reportedly had to change their routes to reach Australia.
The U.S. has large military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:20 PM IST
Rescuers dig through rubble after deadly strike on Israeli synagogue
First responders were digging through the rubble looking for survivors Sunday, hours after a missile struck a synagogue in a central Israeli town.
At least nine people were killed in the Beit Shemesh region, according to Israeli police. It’s the deadliest attack on Israel since it launched attacks on Iran jointly with the U.S. on Saturday.
The victims were sheltering in a safe room in the synagogue when a missile struck it, according to emergency responders, who said the number of dead could rise.
Crowds of people from the community gathered Sunday overlooking the gaping hole in the ground where the missile struck. The area was surrounded by bombed-out cars, slabs of concrete and houses with their roofs blown off.
“It’s really sad that people came to hide and actually died in a synagogue,” said Chaim Stenge, 13.
Residents said they want the war to continue. “Bibi and Trump well done,” said Hagit Ben Ezra, referring to the Israeli and American leaders. “Bibi Netanyahu has to kill Hamas and Iran so there’s quiet in the Middle East.” — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:13 PM IST
US military says it sank Iranian warship in Gulf of Oman
WASHINGTON, United States: US forces struck and sank an Iranian warship in the offensive against the Islamic republic, the US military said Sunday, calling on members of Iran's armed forces to "lay down your weapons."
"An Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was struck by US forces during the start of Operation Epic Fury. The ship is currently sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman at a Chah Bahar pier," US Central Command posted on X. — AFP
