Closing summary
We’re switching our live coverage now to a new blog. You can follow news and updates from the US-Israel war on Iran in the new live blog here. Below is an overview of where things stand as the Middle East reels from the war and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Thanks for reading.
The Israeli military said early on Monday it was striking Hezbollah across Lebanon, after the militant group launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei.
The projectiles launched by the Lebanese militant group were the first since the start of US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The Shia Muslim group, long one of Tehran’s principal allies in the Middle East, said it launched the attack against Israel in response to Israel killing Khamenei and continuous Israeli violations against Lebanon.
Explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital Beirut, according to witnesses. Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Israel had struck Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday after the US and Israel launched a war on the country to trigger regime change. Donald Trump announced the death of the ayatollah, who ruled Iran since 1989, in a post on Truth Social. Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also killed in strikes.
Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran were continuing and would carry on “until all of our objectives are achieved”. The US president continued to justify the operation, saying “an Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American … I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”
Trump told Fox News that 48 leaders have been killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly. This has been this way for 47 years,” he said. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot.”
A suspected drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri – a UK base in Cyprus – the Ministry of Defence confirmed. There were no casualties in the incident at the base. The suspected strike came hours after Keir Starmer said the UK had allowed the US to strike Iranian missile sites from British bases as officials plan an unprecedented rescue operation for UK citizens in the Gulf.
Oil prices have soared and stock markets came under pressure on Monday after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted fears of significant global economic disruption. Brent crude jumped by as much as 13% during early trading – to hit $82 per barrel, a 14-month high – as the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries for global trade, intensified concerns over oil supplies.
Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, the US Central Command said on Sunday. These are the first confirmed deaths since the US began launching strikes against Iran on Saturday. Trump warned in his Truth Social video that there would likely be more casualties.
The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to almost 150, according to Iranian state media. Mizan news agency, the official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, reported that the number killed in Saturday’s strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Iran had risen to 148 killed, with 95 others wounded. The school, which was struck on Saturday morning, appears to be the worst mass casualty event of the US-Israeli-led bombing campaign on Iran so far.
Trump said earlier that Iran’s new leadership wanted to talk to him and that he had agreed, according to an interview with the Atlantic. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner,” he said.
Just 27% of Americans approve of the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader on Saturday, while about half – including one in four Republicans – believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Sunday.
The war led to major disruption to the airline industry and the plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers in the Middle East and beyond as countries across the region closed their airspace and three of the key airports that connect Europe, Africa and the west to Asia halted operations.
Updated
Oil prices soared and stock markets came under pressure on Monday after intense US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted fears of significant global economic disruption, reports Callum Jones.
Brent crude jumped by as much as 13% during early trading – to hit $82 per barrel, a 14-month high – as the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries for global trade, intensified concerns over oil supplies.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell by nearly 2.4% as traders in Asia responded to the weekend’s developments. Pre-market trading also put Wall Street on course to open lower on Monday.
In Sydney the ASX 200 opened down sharply, before recovering, to trade about 0.4% lower. Gold, often deemed a safe-haven asset by investors during times of crisis, rose 2.8% to $5,397.10 per ounce.
Military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran showed no sign of lessening, with Donald Trump suggesting the conflict could last for four more weeks and saying that attacks would continue until US objectives were met.
See the full report here:
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has said he spoke with Benjamin Netanyahu and urged an “early” end to hostilities in the Middle East.
Modi “conveyed India’s concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority”, he said on X on Monday after the phone call with the Israeli prime minister.
“India reiterates the need for an early cessation of hostilities,” said Modi, who had met Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Modi also spoke with Emirati president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, after Iran carried out retaliatory missile and drone launches in the Gulf.
“Strongly condemned the attacks on the UAE and condoled the loss of lives in these attacks. India stands in solidarity with the UAE in these difficult times,” Modi said on X.
We support de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability.
Updated
Lebanese state media is also reporting that Israeli strikes have been launched at Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday.
“Beirut’s southern suburbs were targeted by a series of Israeli strikes,” the state-run National News Agency reported, cited by AFP.
Several loud explosions were heard in Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
The strikes came after Hezbollah said it fired rockets and drones at Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday.
Updated
Explosions have been heard in parts of Tel Aviv without an air raid siren warning, Reuters is quoting a witness as saying, adding that the source of the blasts was unclear.
Explosions have reportedly been heard in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut – a Hezbollah stronghold – after the Israeli military said it had started striking the Iran-backed militant group.
The strikes came after Hezbollah claimed responsibility launching projectiles at Israel from Lebanon on Monday.
As mentioned, Hezbollah said on Sunday it had a “duty” to support Iran after the US-Israeli strikes. But the group has not confirmed action since the strikes began on Saturday.
Updated
Hezbollah claims responsibility for launches as Israel begins striking group
Lebanon’s Hezbollah has just claimed responsibility for the projectiles launched from Lebanon to Israel.
The militant group said it launched missiles and drones towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, news agencies are reporting.
Israel’s military just said it had begun striking Hezbollah across Lebanon.
The Israel Defence Forces said on X that it would “respond forcefully” to Hezbollah’s decision “to join the campaign”. It also said:
IDF forces prepared for this scenario as part of the orderly combat procedure within Operation “Roar of the Lion” and are ready for a multi-arena scenario and to confront any threat to the State of Israel.
Updated
More now on the Israeli military saying projectiles fired from Lebanon had triggered air raid sirens in northern Israel – it also said it had had intercepted one of them.
“Following the sirens that sounded in several areas in northern Israel, a projectile that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, and several projectiles fell in open areas,” the Israeli military posted on Telegram on Monday, cited by the AFP news agency.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Sunday it had a “duty” to support its backer Iran after Israeli and US strikes.
But the group has not confirmed action since the US and Israel began attacks on Saturday, killing Iran’s supreme leader and sparking a wave of retaliatory drone and missile strikes.
Hezbollah has been weakened from conflict with Israel, which it entered to support Hamas after the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent war in the Gaza strip.
Israel and Hezbollah signed a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, although Israel has continued to strike targets it says are linked to the Lebanese group.
Hezbollah did not intervene during a 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June.
Updated
Israel launches 'large-scale strikes' on Tehran
The Israeli military said it was carrying out “large-scale strikes” on Tehran on Monday, two days since the start of a US-Israeli campaign against Iran.
“The Israeli Air Force ... has begun an additional wave of strikes against the Iranian terror regime at the heart of Tehran,” the military said in a statement, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Updated
Defence and intelligence experts are describing the strike on a UK airbase in Cyprus as a “possible Iranian one-way drone attack against RAF Akrotiri”.
The base is located over 600 miles (965km) from Iran.
Alerts, thought to have been put out by the UK’s Ministry of Defence, were sent to military personnel and their families by email and text message.
Cyprus authorities confirm drone strike on UK base
Authorities in Cyprus have confirmed the drone strike. The sovereign base areas and surrounding areas will remain in a state of high alert amid fears of possible further strikes.
All roads to the military facilities have been cordoned off, the Guardian has learned.
SMS messaging sent to base personnel included this:
We are aware of an ongoing security threat. At this time please remain indoors and allow the emergency services access to react to the incident.
The Main entry point at RAF Akrotiri remains closed at this point …
A small Drone has impacted the airfield at RAF Akrotiri and all agencies are responding. There are no casualties but there is minor damage. However the incident is ongoing.
Updated
Further to the report that the UK’s Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus has been hit by a drone, we’ve have word that this SMS message was sent to base personnel before the strike:
There is an ongoing security threat. Please return to your homes and stay inside until further official notice. Move away from windows and take cover behind or beneath substantial, solid furniture. Please await further instruction.
Shares of Australia’s flagship carrier Qantas Airways slumped more than 10% to their lowest level in 10 months on Monday after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The airline’s shares fell as much as 10.4% to A$8.92 each when the Australian market opened on Monday, the lowest level since 2 May 2025, Reuters is reporting.
Updated
Drone hits British airbase in Cyprus – report
The UK’s Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus has been struck by a drone, according to a report in the Cyprus Mail.
Personnel on the bases were informed that a “small drone” had impacted the airfield and that the bases’ authorities were responding, the report on Monday said.
There were no casualties as a result but “minor damage” was caused.
The bases’ authorities instructed personnel to remain in place and await further instruction, warning there may be additional impact, the report said.
The explosion and siren sounds were heard in nearby Limassol.
The British bases had earlier declared a “security threat” shortly before midnight
The report could not be independently verified.
Updated
The Israeli military is saying projectiles have been launched from Lebanon and sirens are sounding in several areas in northern Israel as a result.
We’ll have more on this soon as it comes to hand.
Updated
Oil prices soar amid war on Iran
Oil prices have jumped in Asian trade on the back of the turmoil in the Middle East.
In early trade in Asia on Monday, Brent Crude was trading at $80.20 per barrel, up 13% from the closing price of $72.87 on Friday, Bloomberg News reported.
This is Adam Fulton picking up our live reporting – stay with us for the latest
Updated
Summary of the day so far
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday after the US and Israel launched a war on the country to trigger regime change. The US president had earlier announced the death of the ayatollah, who ruled Iran since 1989, in a post on Truth Social. Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was also killed in strikes.
Donald Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran were continuing and would carry on “until all of our objectives are achieved.” He continued to justify the operation, saying “an Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American… I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”
Trump told Fox News that 48 leaders have been killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran. “It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly. This has been this way for 47 years,” he said. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot.”
Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. These are the first confirmed deaths since the US began launching strikes against Iran on Saturday. Trump warned in his Truth Social video that there would likely be more casualties.
The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to almost 150, according to Iranian state media. Mizan news agency, the official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, reported that the number killed in Saturday’s strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Iran had risen to 148 killed, with 95 others wounded. The school, which was struck on Saturday morning, appears to be the worst mass casualty event of the US-Israeli-led bombing campaign on Iran so far.
Trump said earlier that Iran’s new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed, according to an interview with The Atlantic. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner,” he said.
Just 27% of Americans approve of the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader on Saturday, while about half — including one in four Republicans — believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Sunday.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer agreed to allow the US to use UK military bases to launch attacks that degrade Iran’s missiles. In a recorded statement, the prime minister said the “only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles”.
Here is a look at some of the ongoing aftermath of US-Israeli missile strikes and the retaliatory strikes by Iran:
The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national in a missile attack in Tel Aviv, according to the Associated Press.
The victim, Mary Ann V. de Vera, 32, a caregiver from Basista, Pangasinan, had been working in Israel since 2019. Her identity was confirmed through biometric records at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute, where her husband also positively identified her remains.
Ambassador Aileen Mendiola conveyed condolences to the family and assured them of the Philippine government’s full assistance, the embassy said in a statement.
Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote Sunday on social media that his administration extended “heartfelt condolences” to Iran’s people and its government for what he called the assassination of Khamenei.
“The execrable act constitutes a scrupleless violation of all the norms of International Law and human dignity,” he wrote. “In Cuba he will be remembered as a distinguished statesman and leader of his people, who contributed to the development of friendly relations between Cuba and Iran.”
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also issued a message of condolence over the death of Iran’s supreme leader.
In a post on X, Erdogan wrote: “I extend my condolences to the esteemed Khamenei, praying that the Almighty Allah grants him mercy, and offer my sympathies to the brotherly people of Iran; I convey my condolences on behalf of my country and my nation.”
He added: “Together with the people of Iran, we in Turkey will steadfastly continue our efforts to ensure that all our friends and brothers in the region regain the peace and stability they deserve, that the conflict raging in our region comes to an end, and that we return to diplomacy.”
Trump says attack ‘will continue until all of our objectives are achieved’
Donald Trump warned on Sunday that combat operations in Iran were continuing and would carry on until all of Washington’s objectives are achieved.
“Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives,” Trump said in a recorded video statement posted first on Truth Social. He confirmed that three US service members had been killed and said there would likely be more casualties, vowing to avenge the deaths of Americans.
“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives,” he said. “And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends.”
He continued to justify the operation, saying “an Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be a dire threat to every American… I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”
This is the second video statement he has posted exclusively on Truth Social, his social media platform which recently declared a big loss. The platform is part of Trump Media and Technology Group, a company whose share price has reached near all-time lows this month.
Updated
France and Lebanon are postponing a March 5 conference on the Lebanese army to April, the Elysee palace said in a statement on Sunday, following the launch of US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
France, Lebanon’s former colonial power, plans to mobilize international backing for the Lebanese armed forces and internal security forces at the conference.
The statement stressed that the gravity of the regional situation underscored the need to safeguard Lebanon’s stability, support its legitimate institutions and ensure the full restoration of its sovereignty.
UK agrees to US request to use British military bases for strikes
Keir Starmer has agreed to allow the US to use UK military bases to
launch attacks that degrade Iran’s missiles.
In a recorded statement, the prime minister said the “only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles”.
“The US has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” he said.
“We have taken the decision to accept this request – to prevent Iran firing missiles across the region … killing innocent civilians … putting British lives at risk … and hitting countries that have not been involved.”
In addition, British jets are in the air as part of coordinated defensive operations, which he said had “already successfully intercepted Iranian strikes”.
He said it remains the case that the UK was not involved in the strikes on Iran. “Our decision that the UK would not be involved with the strikes on Iran was deliberate,” the prime minister said. “Not least because we believe that the best way forward for the region and the world is a negotiated settlement.”
But he said Iran’s approach was becoming more reckless and dangerous to civilians, leading to the decision to allow the US to use UK military bases. He also revealed that there are at least 200,000 British citizens in the region – and urged them to register their presence and follow Foreign Office travel advice.
Updated
The leaders of Britain, France and Germany have said they are ready to take steps to defend their interests in the region after the “indiscriminate and disproportionate” missile attacks by Iran.
In a joint statement on Iran, the E3 leaders said:
“E3 leaders are appalled by the indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks launched by Iran against countries in the region, including those who were not involved in initial US and Israeli military operations. Iran’s reckless attacks have targeted our close allies and are threatening our service personnel and our civilians across the region.
“We call on Iran to stop these reckless attacks immediately. We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source.
They continued: “We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter. We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source. We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter.”
Updated
Air raid sirens and explosions have been heard over Jerusalem just after the Israeli army said it detected missiles launched towards Israel from Iran.
In a statement the army said: “A short while ago the [Israeli military] identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat.” People have been urged to stay inside.
Updated
Trump says the attack on Iran could last for four weeks
US President Donald Trump has said the strikes on Iran could last for a month.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “It’s always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so. It’s always been about a four-week process so - as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks - or less.”
Commenting on the first deaths of US service personnel in the fighting, the president said: “They’re great people. And, you know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately. Could happen continuous - it could happen again.”
Updated
The US military has carried out strikes against over 1,000 Iranian targets so far since starting its campaign on Saturday, US Central Command said on Sunday.
In a fact sheet, Central Command listed these items under “Types of Targets”:
Command and Control Centers
IRGC Joint Headquarters
IRGC Aerospace Forces Headquarters
Integrated Air Defense Systems
Ballistic Missile Sites
Iranian Navy Ships
Iranian Navy Submarines
Anti-ship Missile Sites
Military Communication Capabilities
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Democrat representative Ro Khanna said that Americans “are not safer today” following the strikes on Iran.
Khanna said: “They were picking the new leader before we killed the Ayatollah. The Ayatollah was 86. The question is, is the country going to descend into civil war, are billions of our dollars going to be spent there, and are American troops going to be at risk?”
He is seeking to hold a vote under the War Powers Resolution, which would require the White House to seek authorization from Congress for more military action in Iran. He said a vote would be “close” and that “it depends if we can keep several Democrats in line.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said strikes on Tehran “will only increase” in the coming days. He said he has “given instructions for the continuation of the campaign” against Iran during a meeting with his defense minister, chief of staff, and the head of the Mossad security service.
In a video statement shot on the roof of the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu added that Israeli “forces are now striking the heart of Tehran with increasing strength, and this will only increase even more in the coming days.”
At least 22 people are dead following pro-Iran demonstrations in Pakistan in which hundreds of people marched on the US consulate in Karachi. Security forces in Iraq have also fired teargas at protesters who tried to storm the US embassy in Baghdad.
As anger boiled over after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a crowd of demonstrators in Karachi chanted against the offensive before entering the reception hall of the consulate building and lighting a small fire.
A video posted on social media showed a man yelling: “The death of the leader has been avenged.”
Ten people were reported dead after security forces opened fire, with more than 30 others injured, according to a local medical official.
Violence arising from protests elsewhere in Pakistan left 10 people dead in Gilgit-Baltistan and two dead in the capital, Islamabad.
Read more:
Just 27% of Americans approve of Iran strikes, poll finds
Only one in four Americans approves of the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader on Saturday, while about half — including one in four Republicans — believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Sunday.
About 27% of respondents said they approved of the strikes, while 43% disapproved and 29% were not sure. About nine in 10 respondents said they had heard at least a little about the strikes, which began early on Saturday.
About 56% of Americans think Trump, who has also ordered strikes in Venezuela, Syria and Nigeria in recent months, is too willing to use military force to advance US interests. The vast majority of Democrats - 87% - held this view, as did 23% of Republicans and 60% of people who don’t identify with either political party.
The poll, which began on Saturday after the strikes got underway, gathered responses online from 1,282 US adults nationwide. It had a margin of error of three percentage points.
Updated
Trump spoke with leaders of Israel, Bahrain and UAE, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a statement on social media that Trump “has spoken with the leaders of Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE” today.
Updated
Republican senator Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he expects the massive airstrike campaign against Iran will continue for “probably a few weeks.”
He told CBS’ Face the Nation that Trump “has no plan for any kind of large-scale ground force in Iran.”
Cotton would not say how the US and Israeli knew the location of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We have exquisite intelligence collection methods,” he said. “Israel and the United States once again proved that our nation has capabilities that no other nation on Earth has.”
UK says British fighter jet shot down Iranian drone aimed at Qatar
A UK fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone aimed at Qatar, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
“Today, a Royal Air Force Typhoon operating from Qatar as part of the joint UK–Qatar Typhoon Squadron, successfully took out an Iranian drone heading towards Qatar,” the ministry’s official X account posted today.
“The Typhoon jet was conducting a defensive air patrol and used an air-to-air missile to shoot down the drone, ensuring the security of Qatar’s airspace and British interests in the region,” the statement said. “Our Armed Forces are playing a vital role to protect our people, our interests and our allies.”
The UK signed a defense agreement with Qatar last year, aimed at strengthening military cooperation and improving interoperability between their armed forces.
Larisa Brown, defense editor of London’s The Times, reported on X that this “is the first time the aircraft has carried out an operational interception in defence of Qatar.”
Updated
German chancellor Friedrich Merz called on US and European partners to start planning for the future of Iran and the region, saying the people of Iran deserved a better future after US and Israeli strikes killed its supreme leader.
Merz said his government agreed with US goals to end Tehran’s nuclear armament and finish a “destructive game” being played by Iran, but he warned of possible dangers ahead.
“This is not without risk. We do not know how far the region will be drawn into escalation by Iran’s harsh counterstrikes,” Merz told reporters.
Pointing to some reservations over the US and Israeli actions, Merz said now was not the time to lecture partners and allies, despite doubts. “We want to work with our partners in the US, Israel, the region, and Europe to develop an agenda for the day after,” said Merz.
His four aims were to ensure peace and stability in the region, to get Iran to end its nuclear and ballistic missile program, to contribute to a stable future for Iran and to help Iranians decide their own fate.
Merz also said Germany would not tolerate attacks on US or Israeli institutions in the country.
German tourists on a cruise in the Middle East have told the tabloid Bild how they have been watching the conflict unfold in dramatic scenes viewed from their holiday suites. Tourists on the cruiseliner ‘Mein Schiff 4’ photographed black clouds of smoke billowing over the harbour in Abu Dhabi and said they were shocked and scared to see their holiday paradise turn into a war zone.
Mein Schiff 4 is currently docked in Port Zayed in Abu Dhabi, where a large explosion took place midday on Sunday.
The defense minister has since said that the explosion was caused by an attack by two Iranian drones, which hit a storage facility near the marine base of Al Salam, which ignited two containers.
“We got an emergency message on our mobile phones at 4.30pm, telling us to immediately gather in the theatre of the ship.” Another passenger reported: “There was a large bang in the immediate vicinity.” The crew advised the passengers “to stay inside, avoid windows and to remain calm”, the second passenger said. They described the mood on board the ship as “extremely tense”. Balconies and decks of the Mein Schiff 4 were to remain closed.
“Many passengers, including lots of families with children, are slowly losing their nerves: panicking, crying, fearful of further explosions, and no one knows how and when we’re going to get out of here,” a passenger told the tabloid.
The holiday makers are on a seven-day cruise called ‘Magic of the Orient’ at a cost of Euro 899 per person in standard class, which was scheduled to stop in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Khasab, Muscat, Doha and Dubai.
Updated
A warehouse at a French naval base was hit in a drone attack that targeted the port of Abu Dhabi. Catherine Vautrin, the French armed forces minister, confirmed the strike in a social media post, writing “A hangar at our naval base, adjacent to that of the Emiratis, was struck in a drone attack that targeted the port of Abu Dhabi.”
She added: “The damage is purely material and limited. No injuries are to be regretted. The vigilance of our forces is at a maximum in the face of a situation that is evolving hour by hour.”
Nato is continuing to closely follow developments in Iran and the region around it, a spokesperson for the alliance’s military headquarters said in a statement on Sunday.
Nato’s supreme allied commander Europe, US general Alexus Grynkewich, “continues to speak actively and regularly with military leaders on both sides of the Atlantic, and with Nato’s secretary general,” colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said.
The top commander “has and will continue to adjust Nato’s very strong force posture to ensure the security of its 32 member nations and to defend the Alliance from potential threats, such as ballistic missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles, emanating from this or other regions,” he added.
Trump: US destroyed Iran's naval headquarters and nine ships
Donald Trump said that the US has destroyed nine Iranian navy ships and largely destroyed Iran’s naval headquarters.
“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “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.”
Updated
Iran targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln, but the “missiles launched didn’t even come close,” according to a social media post from US Central Command (Centcom).
“The Lincoln was not hit,” the post said. “The missiles launched didn’t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of Centcom’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s most powerful military body, was quoted earlier in an Iranian news outlet as saying that four ballistic missiles had targeted the ship.
In reaction to the news of the three US service members who have been killed in action, US senator Mark Warner posted: “My deepest condolences to the families of the service members killed in action abroad. My heart is heavy thinking of their loss.”
Senator Roger Marshall posted: “Our hearts are heavy this morning as we learn of the loss of American service members overseas. We are praying for their loved ones, for the safety of those still in combat, and a swift end to this conflict.”
Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran, the US Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. These are the first confirmed deaths since the US began launching strikes against Iran on Saturday.
Five additional personnel have been reported seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury, the US military said. Authorities have not yet publicly identified the three soldiers who were killed.
While announcing the military action targeting Iran, Donald Trump cautioned that “the lives of American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war”.
On Sunday, Israel and the US carried out another round of heavy attacks across Iran, marking the second day of a military effort aimed at removing the country’s government. The campaign has pushed the Middle East into a broader regional confrontation with no clear end or predictable outcome.
Read more:
Trump: 'They want to talk, and I have agreed'
Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed, according to an interview with The Atlantic.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Trump said in an interview from his Florida residence, the magazine reported.
The president added that some of the Iranians involved in the previous negotiations were no longer alive. “Most of those people are gone,” he said. “Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big—that was a big hit.”
Updated
Trump says 48 leaders killed in strikes on Iran and operation is 'moving along rapidly'
Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that 48 leaders have been killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
“It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly. This has been this way for 47 years,” he is quoted as saying in an interview with Fox News. “It’s moving along rapidly. Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly.”
Trump also told CNBC’s Joe Kernen that US military operations in Iran are “ahead of schedule.”
Updated
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said today that despite the attacks on his country, “nothing has changed in our … military capability.”
He told 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.”
When 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.”
Death toll from suspected US-Israeli bombing of Iranian school reportedly rises to almost 150
The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to almost 150, according to Iranian state media.
Mizan news agency, the official news outlet of Iran’s judiciary, reported that the number killed in Saturday’s strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Iran had risen to 148 killed, with 95 others wounded. The news agency cited Ebrahim Taheri, a prosecutor in Minab.
The school, which was struck on Saturday morning, appears to be the worst mass casualty event of the US-Israeli-led bombing campaign on Iran so far.
Video and photographs from the aftermath of the strike, which have been verified as authentic and geolocated to the site, show hundreds of people gathered around the partially collapsed, smoking building, with rubble strewn across the street and men digging through it for victims. Screams can be heard in the background. In some of the images, schoolbags and textbooks are being pulled from the debris.
Capt Tim Hawkins, the spokesperson for US Central Command, said the US was “aware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations. We take these reports seriously and are looking into them.”
The school building appears to be adjacent to an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps barracks. You can read more here:
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The IDF has said in a new post on X that the Israeli air force has launched a “new wave of strikes in the heart of Tehran” in a simialr update to the one we mentioned in our post at 09.02.
Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly killed in strikes
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the firebrand former Iranian president, who gained international notoriety by calling for Israel’s erasure and denying the Holocaust, appears to have been killed in Saturday’s military strikes, according to local media.
Several Iranian outlets ran reports confirming Ahmadinejad’s death on Sunday after it had initially been reported as confirmed by ILNA, a semi-official news agency.
ILNA later retreated somewhat from its original report in a later post that was headlined “Is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad martyred?”
The later report cited an unnamed source who the agency said had denied Ahmadinejad’s death “without providing further information”.
The original report, which ILNA said was based on “informed sources”, said the former president had been killed in strikes on his home in the Narmak district of Tehran. The report was picked up by the websites of several Iranian newspapers, including Shargh and Etemad, before the agency qualified it with a question mark.
Earlier reports on Saturday suggested Ahmadinejad’s team of bodyguards had been killed in the strikes but that his fate was unknown. His Wikipedia page had been updated on Sunday to refer to him in the past tense and suggest he was deceased.
The populist Ahmadinejad was a dominant and highly controversial figure in Iranian politics during his eight-year presidency who also repeatedly generated international headlines.
Months after his election in 2005, he triggered outrage at a conference in Tehran by saying Israel should be “erased from the pages of time” – a quote that was widely translated into English as “wiped off the map”.
He later dismissed the Holocaust as a “myth” and was the driving force behind a 2006 “scientific” conference ostensibly aimed at investigating the evidence for the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the second world war, but tendentiously concluding that it did not happen …
He was believed to have been the favoured candidate of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who himself was killed in Saturday’s strikes carried out by Israel.
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On Saturday, the British prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the UK government had “stepped up protections for British bases and personnel to their highest level” in the wake of the strikes on Iran.
Earlier this month, six F-35B fighter jets joined Typhoon jets already stationed in Cyprus to boost defence of the island’s bases and wider sovereign territories.
An extraordinary meeting of Cyprus’ national security council will be convened this evening following revelations of Iranian missiles being intercepted heading towards the island.
Highlighting the “indiscriminate” nature of Iran’s retaliation to the US and Israeli offensive on Saturday, Britain’s defense secretary, John Healey, revealed on Sky news that two missiles had been fired in the direction of Cyprus, home to two of the UK’s most strategic military facilities abroad.
“This is a really serious and deteriorating situation, (with) rising risks of increasing Iranian indiscriminate retaliatory attacks,” he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme.
“We had two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus. We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act.”
President Nikos Christodoulides, who called tonight’s meeting, was quick to allay fears that the island – which is less than a twenty minute flight from Lebanon - could be caught up in the crosshairs of retaliatory attacks, saying he had spoken to his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, “regarding the ongoing developments”.
“He confirmed clearly and unequivocally that Cyprus was not a target,” the leader said in a statement. “We are maintaining direct communication. All relevant authorities are fully engaged and monitoring developments closely.”
The two sovereign base areas, covering 99 square miles of the island’s territory, were retained by Britain when the former colony won independence in 1960. As such, Cypriot authorities have no control over the areas.
RAF Akrotiri is particularly significant for Britain because of its role as a forward mounting post for overseas operations in the Middle East. There has been criticism of the RAF facility being used to assist Israel, including surveillance flights by Akrotiri-based spy planes over Gaza.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said it was a “lie” that the USS Abraham Lincoln was struck by Iranian missiles. It issued the statement after Iranian state media reported earlier that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp said they had attacked the aircraft carrier with four ballistic missiles.
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The death toll from the Iranian missile attack in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh has increased to at least nine people, first responders said, in what is the deadliest strike in the country since the war began on Saturday (see post at 14.23 for more details).
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US claims it has sunk an Iranian ship
In an earlier update, Centcom said an “Iranian Jamaran-class corvette” (ship) was hit by US forces and is “currently sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman”.
“As the President said, members of Iran’s armed forces, IRGC and police “must lay down your weapons.” Abandon ship,” it added in a post on X.
Three US service members killed 'in action' as part of Iran operation - Centcom
The US has said three American service members have been killed in action as part of the Iran operation, according to the US military’s Central Command (Centcom).
In an update to X, Centcom said:
As of 9:30 am ET, March 1, three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury. Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions – and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing.
These were the first casualties of any kind among US personnel to be announced since the US and Israel launched aerial attacks against Iran and killed its supreme leader on Saturday.
The names of the soldiers who were killed will not be released until 24 hours after their families have been notified, Centcom said.
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Selection of a supreme leader could happen 'in a day or two', Iranian foreign minister says
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said a new supreme leader could be chosen in a “day or two”.
“You may see the selection of a supreme leader in a day or two,” Araghchi said. “So everything is in order and everything is in line with our legal system and in line with the constitution.”
Araghchi also told Al Jazeera that Iran had no intention of closing the strait of Hormuz, criticised the US for attacking Iran “for the second time during negotiations” and said Iran’s retaliatory strikes were only aimed at American targets.
The Iranian foreign minister said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing was “a very serious and unprecedented act and a blatant violation of international law.” He added that his country has “no restrictions or limits in defending” itself.
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Key event
The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said a team had responded to an incident involving two Iranian drones targeting a warehouse at al-Salam Naval Base in Abu Dhabi. The attack caused a fire, but there were no reports of any casualties, the ministry said.
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Deadly Iranian missile attack reported in Israel's Beit Shemesh
We are hearing reports of an Iranian missile hitting a residential neighbourhood in central Israel’s Beit Shemesh area.
At least nine people are reported dead and 11 are reported missing. In an update, Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue service said:
Additional MDA teams are treating and evacuating 28 casualties to hospital including: 2 in serious condition, 2 in moderate condition, and 24 in mild condition.
Workers are currently searching for people feared to be trapped under the rubble.
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Aisha Down reports that several users on US-based prediction market platform Polymarket have made substantial sums of money betting on when the US strikes on Iran would take place:
At least seven different accounts on the platform Polymarket appear to have collectively made over $1.5m on bets that the US would strike Iran this weekend. Five of these accounts are new accounts that have made no other bets; one more appears to have only also bet on strikes last weekend.
One more, “Magamyman”, has previously bet mostly on US and Israeli strikes against Iran over the past year.
All of these accounts are anonymous. A crypto analytics platform has called six of them “suspected insiders”, noting that their bets were funded in the past few days and timed specifically for this weekend. These accounts collectively made roughly $1.2m.
Polymarket received investment last summer from a venture firm backed by Donald Trump Jr., who sits on its advisory board. Months after this investment, US regulatory authorities ended ongoing investigations into the platform for operating an unregistered derivatives trading platform and possible violations of money laundering laws.
Earlier this year, a similarly new account on Polymarket appeared to make nearly half a million dollars betting on Maduro’s capture.
Polymarket has posted a statement: “Note on Middle East Markets: The promise of prediction markets is to harness the wisdom of the crowd to create accurate, unbiased forecasts for the most important events to society. That ability is particularly invaluable in gut-wrenching times like today. After discussing with those directly affected by the attacks, who had dozens of questions, we realized that prediction markets could give them the answers they needed in ways TV news and X could not.”
Three dead, 58 injured in UAE since start of Iran strikes: defence ministry
Three people have been killed and 58 others injured in the United Arab Emirates since Iran began its retaliatory campaign in the Gulf in response to US and Israeli attacks, AFP reports, citing local authorities.
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.
The attacks resulted in the deaths of three people of Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationality, it said.
The strikes on Abu Dhabi and Dubai caught some tourists off guard, with fires reported at the airports in both cities last night, as well as Dubai’s landmark Burj Al Arab.
Emma Graham-Harrison, the Guardian’s chief Middle East correspondent, provides a report from the scene of an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv last night:
The blast from an Iranian missile ripped apart the front of Tel Aviv restaurant Flor on Saturday night, but left rows of wine bottles strangely untouched on shelves now open to the street.
Ben Sommerfield was there minutes afterwards, to survey the ruins of a space that is much more than a business for him and two partners. “This is our life,” he said. “In war everyone loses. We are not for all of this.”
The bomb hit an apartment block on the other side of a small park, killing one woman in her 40s – the first death reported from Iranian attacks – and injuring 25 others.
It also damaged dozens of buildings in the area, testament to the destructive power of the Iranian missiles that do make it through Israel’s sophisticated multi-layer air defence system.
Tom Yakoov, a 30-year-old tech worker, was sheltering in the reinforced safe room of his newly built apartment block, when he felt the whole building shake.
“There was a loud noise, the smell of explosive smoke. I couldn’t tell if the bomb fell right here, or 200 metres away,” he said.
When he emerged after half an hour, he found some windows blown out, but hopes to move back in soon, and fully backs the joint US-Israeli assault on Iran.
“Its like an Israeli story I can tell my children, the tyrant was down and my building was hit,” he said, hours after Iran confirmed supreme leader Ali Khamenei had been killed. “The only thing I’m sorry is that we didn’t do it earlier in last June.”
His neighbour Hen Shalom was less sanguine about surviving a near miss with a missile, and questioned why Israel was paying such a high price to attack a man in his 80s.
“I would prefer [Israel] had not done it,” he said of the attacks that unleashed Iranian retaliation on Tel Aviv. “The tyrant would have died in four years anyway.”
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China said it “strongly condemns” the US and Israel’s killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling again for a halt to military actions, AFP reports.
The killing was “a serious violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, a trampling on the aims and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations”, Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this,” it added, calling for an “immediate halting of military operations”.
The condemnation came just after Chinese state media reported a phone call between Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
During the conversation, which state news agency Xinhua said was initiated by Lavrov, Wang said the “blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change” by the US and Israel was “unacceptable”.
What we know so far...
Israel says it is hitting targets “in the heart of Tehran” on the second day of attacks to overthrow Iran’s government with the US.
The American president, Donald Trump, said on Sunday that the US would strike Iran “with a force that has never been seen before” if Tehran carried out threats to retaliate after the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed yesterday. Trump has urged Iranians to “take back their country”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the killing of Khamenei, who ruled Iran since 1989, was “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law”.
Other senior figures in the Iranian regime who were killed in Saturday’s strikes reportedly include the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Gen Mohammad Pakpour, and defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh. Israel says at least 40 Iranian “commanders” were killed in the “opening” strikes.
All three members have now been appointed to Iran’s temporary leadership council, which fulfils the role of the supreme leader until a successor is chosen.
It means the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and senior cleric Alireza Arafi will reportedly lead Iran in the transitional period following Khamenei’s death.
The death toll from a US-Israeli missile strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to almost 150, according to Iranian state media.
At least 133 civilians have been killed and 200 civilians injured during US-Israel strikes on Iran on Saturday, according to the US-based organisation HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency).
Iran has launched retalitory missiles and drones targeting Israel. Strikes have also been reported in Dubai, Qatar’s capital Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Officials in Tel Aviv said about 40 buildings were damaged by retaliatory Iranian ballistic missile strikes, with two people reportedly killed.
The UK’s defence secretary, John Healey, said Iranian missiles and drones had landed within “a few hundred yards” of about 300 British troops at a base in Bahrain.
Hundreds of thousands of travellers were stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.
Ships have reported hearing a radio broadcast purporting to come from the Iranian navy announcing that transit through the vital strait of Hormuz was banned, raising expectations of a sharp jump in oil prices. But there’s been no formal announcement from Tehran about the status of the strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
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Analysis: 'Trump’s unprovoked attack on Iran has no mandate – or legal basis'
Experts have said the attacks by Israel and the US on Iran – which came days after talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme ended without a deal – were illegal, as they were in violation of the ban on the use of force under the UN charter and international law.
Here is an extract from my colleague Julian Borger’s analysis on why the US strikes had no sound legal basis:
The attack on Iran is a clear violation of the UN charter, in any absence of any credible, imminent Iranian threat to the US. In an attempt at justification, Trump spoke in generalities, denouncing the Tehran leadership as “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people” and 47 years of enmity between the US and the Islamic Republic.
Over that half century, Iran has arguably never posed less of a threat than now, weakened both by the joint attack by the US and Israel last June that degraded its defences, and decades of sanctions combined with economic migration that brought mass protests on to the street.
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Why is the strait of Hormuz so important and will Iran shut it in retaliation to US-Israeli attacks?
The strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important arteries for global trade. About 20% of global oil supplies and about 20% of seaborne gas tankers pass through it.
The strait lies between Oman and Iran. It links the Gulf to the north with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 20 miles (33km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lanes just 2 miles (3km) wide in either direction.
This location makes it a crucial choke point for oil deliveries from countries within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to customers in Asia. Options to bypass the strait are limited.
For years, Tehran has warned that it could use its location to shut the strait in retaliation to military aggression against Iran, but has stopped short of a prolonged block on the trade route. Experts believe this time may be different. You can read more in this explainer:
A vessel was struck ealier today by an “unknown projectile” about 50 nautical miles north of Oman’s capital, Muscat, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said in an update.
The UKMTO, which reports incidents and provides security information to mariners, shipping companies and regional authorities, said the attack resulted in a fire in the vessel’s engine room that has been brought under control. Earlier, the agency alerted another incident off Oman’s Kumzar in the strait of Hormuz.
The agency said in a separate statement that it was aware of “significant military activity” in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea and the strait of Hormuz as it warned of an “elevated threat” to commercial shipping.
Within hours of the US-Israeli strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reportedly warned tankers in the strait that no ship would be allowed to pass via the world’s most critical oil trade route.
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Here is a map showing Iran’s retaliatory strikes on countries across the region:
Here is a map put together by our visuals team showing the US-Israeli airtsrikes on Iran. Strikes hit across the country on Saturday, and then were followed up on Sunday with another round of strikes, including further attacks in the heart of Tehran, the capital.
Khamenei's killing marks a 'defining moment in Iran's history', EU foreign policy chief says
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has said the killing of Ali Khamenei marks “a defining moment in Iran’s history”.
“What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape.” the former Estonian pime minister wrote in a post on X.
“I’m in contact with partners, including those in the region that bear the brunt of Iran’s military actions, to find practical steps for de-escalation.”
Many European countries have called for restraint and urged Tehran to seek a negotiated solution, but have avoided directly condemning the US-Israeli attacks.
Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, was an outlier, saying the US-Israeli strikes represented an “escalation” that added to “a more uncertain and hostile international order”.
“We likewise reject the actions of the Iranian regime and the Revolutionary Guard. We cannot afford another prolonged and devastating war in the Middle East,” he added.
All members of Iran's temporary leadership council appointed - reports
According to reports, all three members have been appointed to Iran’s temporary leadership council, which is meant to fulfil the supreme leader’s role until a successor is chosen.
Alireza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as the jurist member of the council, ISNA news agency reported, joining Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and chief justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.
We have not yet been able to independently verify this information.
Revenge is 'legitimate right', Iranian president says after killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is “an open war against Muslims, especially Shiites, in all corners of the world”.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers bloodshed and revenge against the perpetrators and commanders of this crime as its legitimate duty and right, and will fulfill this great responsibility and duty with all its might,” Pezeshkian was quoted as having said.
In this video explainer, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, explains what we know so far about the US-Israel attacks, and Iran’s retaliation, and what to expect next:
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Hundreds of thousands of travellers were either stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.
There also was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said, after the government there announced a “temporary and partial closure” of its airspace.
That led to the closure of key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines.
The three major airlines that operate at those airports – Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad – typically have about 90,000 passengers per day passing through those hubs and even more travellers headed to destinations in the Middle East, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Dubai international airport is the world’s busiest airport for international flights. You can read more here:
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Emirates suspends 'all operations to and from Dubai' as travel chaos deepens
Emirates airline has said it has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai until at least 15:00 UAE time tomorrow due to airspace closures across the region.
Key transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Doha in Qatar, were shut or severely restricted as of this morning.
Dubai International Airport was damaged during Iran’s retailitaroy attacks, while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among carriers to have cancelled flights to the region as attacks continue and airspace remains closed or restricted.
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Putin says the 'murder' of Khamenei was a 'cynical violation of all norms of human morality'
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in a large-scale air attack by the US and Israel as a “cynical violation of all norms of human morality”.
Putin said in a note to Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian:
Please accept my deep condolences in connection with the murder of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.
In our country, Ayatollah Khamenei will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made a huge personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations and bringing them to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
I ask you to convey my most sincere sympathy and support to the family and friends of the Supreme Leader, the government and the entire people of Iran.
Russia is key trade partner and supplier of weapons and technologies for Iran. Meanwhile, North Korea’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Israel’s attacks on Iran and the US military operation were “illegal aggression” and a violation of national sovereignty.
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If you’re living or working in the region and have been affected by the US-Israel war on Iran, we would like to hear from you.
We recognise it may not always be safe or appropriate to record or share your experiences, so please think about this when considering whether to get in touch with us. Your security is the most important thing.
You can fill out the form at the bottom of this callout if safe to do so:
Israel’s military said its strikes have killed 40 Iranian commanders, including the armed forces’ chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi. “Iran’s security leadership decapitated in opening strike,” it wrote in a post on X, the contents of which we have not yet been able to independently verify.
Israel said yesterday that its initial strikes killed other senior Iranian defence officials as they gathered in meetings, including defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and Mohammad Pakpour, the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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Dan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and security editor
The UK did not participate in the first waves of strikes against Iran on Saturday morning and has no immediate intention of doing so, but fighter jets were running defensive operations from Qatar and Cyprus to shoot down any incoming drones and missiles …
Iran launched an immediate counterattack, including strikes on Israel and Jordan as well as on US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. British forces are located at the bases in small numbers.
Details of the operations were scant, and the Ministry of Defence would not specify which countries and bases were being defended, though the UK recently boosted deployments in case there was an escalation of hostilities.
British nationals in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were advised to immediately shelter in place after reports of Iranian missile attacks. The Foreign Office advised against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
The UK prime minister, in a joint statement with his French and German counterparts, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, said: “We did not participate in these strikes”, but all three leaders added that they were in contact with the US, Israel and other regional allies. You can read more here:
Iranian strikes landed within 'a few hundred yards' of British troops in Bahrain, UK defence secretary says
Over in the UK, the British defence secretary, John Healey, said Iranian strikes landed within “a few hundred yards” of British troops in Bahrain.
Healey told Sky News:
This is a really serious and deteriorating situation, (with) rising risks of increasing Iranian indiscriminate retaliatory attacks.
Let me give you a couple examples. Yesterday, we had 300 personnel on that Bahrain base that was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones, some of them within a few hundred yards of where they landed.
We had two missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus. We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act.
When asked if the US attacks were legal, Healey sidestepped the question by saying it was not for him to make that judgment.
In an interview with the BBC, the defence secretary said he was worried that “indiscriminate attacks from Iran” were putting British personnel and citizens abroad at risk.
Gulf states report successfully intercepting Iranian missiles and drones
Qatar’s defence ministry said its air force intercepted missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier today, while Kuwait said its air defenses repelled “a number of hostile aerial targets” and Bahrain said it shot down missiles and drones launched by Iran. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
Iran has launched missiles and drones targeting Israeli and American military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, in response to Saturday’s deadly US-Israeli strikes on the country. The US military has reported no American casualties and minimal damage at its bases.
Here are some images taken in the aftermath of reported Iranian retaliatory strikes on US allies in Gulf states and in Iraq:
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We reported in an earlier post that the Israel Defense Forces said the country’s air force was striking “in the heart of Tehran”. We can bring you some of the latest pictures from Tehran now:
Oman has said an oil tanker in the strategically important strait of Hormuz came under attack, imjuring four mariners on board.
The attack targeted a Palau-flagged vessel called Skylight, the state-run Oman news agency said in a report we have not yet been able to independently verify. It described the crew as Indian and Iranian.
It was not immediately clear who attacked the vessel, but it came after authorities said Iran had been threatening ships traveling the strait since the US-Israeli attacks.
The strait of Hormuz – a crucial chokepoint for oil transit – lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf to the north with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. The strikes could cause serious economic disruption around the world, particularly if the strait becomes unsafe for commercial traffic.
IDF says 'broad wave of strikes' launched 'in the heart of Tehran'
In a statement posted to social media, the Israel Defense Forces says it is now striking “targets” of the Iranian “regime in the heart of Tehran”.
“The Air Force, guided by military Intelligence, has now launched a broad wave of strikes against targets of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran,” a statement to X reads.
“Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.”
Although Israel has said it has been targeting military assets in Iran, there have been reports of a high civilian death toll.
Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian ambassador to the UN, told an emergency UN security council meeting that hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured in the US-Israeli strikes. He accused them of deliberately attacking civilian neighbourhoods in multiple cities.
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As a reminder, Israel’s sophisticated air defence system has reportedly shot down most of Iran’s missiles, although some can still get through.
'Non stop sirens and alerts' in Jerusalem as Iran retaliates for Israeli-US attacks
Jason Burke is the international security correspondent of the Guardian. He is reporting from Jerusalem:
There have been almost non-stop sirens and alerts in Jerusalem since early this morning, punctuated by multiple loud explosions as interceptors strike Iranian missiles passing over the city on their way to targets in central Israel, especially Tel Aviv, where there was one reported fatality last night.
Israeli paramedic services say about 120 have been injured across the country, though few seriously.
Many residents of Jerusalem spent much of the night in bomb shelters, where available.
Streets are largely empty with schools and businesses closed, though church bells in the Old City rang out on this Sunday morning during one alert.
Oman’s Duqm commercial port was struck by two drones, injuring one worker, the state news agency said this morning. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
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Eight people killed at a pro-Iran rally at US consulate in Pakistan
Eight people have been killed in a pro-Iran rally at the US consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, rescue services have said.
Hundreds of protesters had attempted to storm the consulate building. “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 spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, told AFP, adding most had bullet wounds.
The protesters, who were minority Shiites in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country, have since been dispersed, the Associated Press reported.
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Iran’s army said it targeted US bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and in the Gulf on Sunday in response to the killing of 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.
The US Embassy in Oman has advised its staff and all American citizens to “shelter-in-place” until further notice, citing “ongoing activity outside of Muscat”.
“Find a secure location within your residence or another safe building. Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items,” it said, in a post on X.
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Summary
Iran has launched a new round of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf cities, after vowing retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who had ruled the country since 1989.
Multiple rounds of sirens were heard across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank on Sunday morning, and explosions were reported in Doha, Dubai and Manama. Blasts were also heard near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament warned that US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “crossed our red lines” that they would “suffer the consequences”. Trump, in a post on social media, said Iran should not retaliate, or it would be hit with a force that has “never been seen before”.
Iranian state media announced the deaths of several high-level military officials, including armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, and head of the defence council Ali Shamkhani, saying they were killed “during a defence council meeting”. More names would follow, it said.
At least 133 civilians have been killed, and 200 civilians injured during US-Israel strikes on Iran on Saturday, according to the US-based organisation HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency), which said it had recorded incidents across 18 provinces in Iran.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security adviser, has warned “secessionist groups” they will face a harsh response if they attempt any action, and called for unity. Trump previously urged the Iranian people to “take over” the government, saying: “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
Thousands of people have gathered in central Tehran to mourn the death of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989. Mourners, who were dressed in black and carried photos of the former leader, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel”. However, others celebrated, with reports describing people cheering from rooftops, blowing whistles and letting out ululations.
Protesters rallied in support of Iran in several cities, attempting to storm the US consulate in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, and to enter the fortified Green Zone of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where the US embassy is located. Thousands also rallied in Indian-administered Kashmir on Sunday.
The United Nations’ nuclear agency said it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday at the request of Russia. The meeting is in response to the US-Israel strikes, which Trump has said are a response to Iran attempting to “rebuild their nuclear program”.
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Thousands of Shia muslims joined street demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir to protest against the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday.
Protesters holding red, black, and yellow flags converged on the main square in the heart of Srinagar, the main city of Indian Kashmir. Many of them chanted anti-Israel and anti-US slogans during the emotionally charged but largely peaceful gathering.
“This day we are all very heavy hearted. We are mourning our beloved leader who was martyred,” Syed Towfeeq told AFP. “We all have a message for Trump ... We will always stand against your oppression.”
Another protester, Ishfaq Wani, urged Muslim countries to unite “under one flag”.
Similar protests were held in other places across Kashmir and other parts of India with a sizeable Shia Muslim population.
Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, said he was “deeply concerned” about the developments in Iran.
He also urged protesters to remain calm and “avoid any actions that could lead to tension or unrest”.
Hundreds of people have attempted to storm the US consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, local police have reported, smashing windows in the process.
Police and paramilitary forces used batons and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, said Mohammad Jawad, a police official. At least one protester was killed and several others were wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces, he said.
The attack on the consulate came hours after Khamenei was killed.
Images from the city showed large numbers of people demonstrating against the action by the US and Israel, while holding up portraits of Khamenei.
Iraq has announced three days of mourning following the death of 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”.
The United Nations’ nuclear agency said it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday, at the request of Russia.
In a statement late on Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Russia had requested it 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.”
Iranian state media has announced the death of another high-level military official, saying armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed during US and Israeli strikes on Saturday.
State TV said Mousavi was killed with defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, and head of the defence council Ali Shamkhani “during a defence council meeting”.
Other names will be announced later, the report said.
Hundreds of Iraqis attempted to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy and government buildings located, according to reports.
An AFP journalist said protesters, some holding flags of pro-Iran armed groups, threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. Gunshots were heard and smoke was seen rising in the area, Associated Press footage showed.
Protests have also been held in other provinces across southern Iraq, as several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups said they would defend Tehran.
The powerful group Kataeb Hezbollah said it will attack US bases after two of its fighters were killed in air strikes in southern Iraq.
Early on Sunday, loud explosions were heard near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
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Iran's top security adviser warns 'secessionist groups' against action
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security adviser, has warned “secessionist groups” they will face a harsh response if they attempt action, in an interview broadcast on state TV.
Larijani called for unity, adding: “Groups seeking to divide Iran should know that we will not tolerate it.”
Trump has called on the Iranian people to “take over” the government, saying on Saturday “now is the time to seize control of your destiny”. He made the comments in an eight-minute video announcing the US-Israel strikes.
Later, in a statement posted on Truth Social announcing Khamenei’s death, Trump said: “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
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The speaker of Iran’s parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the country had prepared for “all scenarios”, and warned US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have “crossed our red lines” and “will suffer the consequences”. He made the remarks in a video played on state TV.
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Trump has warned Iran against launching retaliatory attacks, in a comment posted on Truth Social. “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,” Trump said, adding that, if Iran does so, it will be hit with a force that has “never been seen before”.
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Iran announces new wave of missile and drone strikes
Iran has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Sunday targeting US military bases across the region and Israel, state media said, in retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel’s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, according to an AFP report that cited Iranian state TV.
On Sunday morning, waves of sirens were heard across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank, with Israel’s military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.
Explosions were heard over Jerusalem, agencies reported, while the Israeli Air Force said it was “operating to intercept and strike threats.” The Magen David Adom rescue service said early on Sunday that there were currently no reports of casualties.
Blasts were also heard across several Gulf cities. Thick black clouds of smoke and several loud blast were reported over Qatari capital Doha, while explosions were heard across Dubai and Bahrain’s Manama.
Two people were injured in Dubai after shrapnel from drones fell over two houses when they were intercepted, a Dubai Media office statement said.
Qatar’s interior ministry said on Sunday it was responding to a limited fire in an industrial zone after debris fell from an intercepted missile
Loud explosions and thick, black smoke were seen near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
This follows confirmation by Iranian state media earlier that Khamenei had been killed.
On Saturday, Iran responded to the US-Israel strikes with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries, drawing in countries that have previously been unaffected by the crisis.
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Thousands of people have gathered in central Tehran to mourn the death of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989. Mourners, who were dressed in black and carried photos of the former leader, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel”.
State media has reported that 40 days of public mourning and seven days of public holidays will be observed.
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Several loud bangs heard over Dubai - reports
Several loud bangs were heard in the Dubai area for a second day on Sunday, witnesses told Reuters news agency. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on the neighbouring Gulf states in response to US and Israeli strikes, hitting a range of other targets.
Major shipping companies have suspended navigation through the Gulf, citing the evolving security situation in the Middle East.
French shipping company CMA CGM said in a statement it had told all of its vessels inside Persian Gulf, and bound to Persian Gulf, to proceed to shelter with “immediate effect”. It has also suspended passage through the Suez Canal until further notice.
Hapag-Lloyd, another major shipping company, said it was suspending all transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the open seas, “until further notice.”
Danish company Maersk has also warned clients of possible delivery delays due to ships being re-routed.
Sirens across central Israel and occupied West Bank
Air raid sirens were activated across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as Israel’s military said it was responding to Iranian missile fire.
“Sirens were sounded in several areas across the country, following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” a military statement said, adding that the air force was “operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary”.
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Loud explosions heard near Erbil airport
Loud explosions were heard early on Sunday near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP reported. Thick black smoke was rising from the airport area.
On Saturday, US-led coalition forces downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil.
More details are emerging on who will lead Iran during a transition period, following Khamenei’s death.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and another official from the country’s legal council will be part of the trio overseeing the transition, according to state television which cited Mohammad Mokhber, one of Khamenei’s advisors.
Last summer during the 12-day war with Israel, Khamenei named three potential successors should he be killed. Reports earlier this month indicated that Khamenei had named four layers of succession for key government and military jobs, in an effort to ensure regime survival in the face of a US-Israeli attack.
Iran confirms deaths of Guards chief and senior security official
Iran’s judiciary has confirmed the deaths of two senior military figures. The Guards’ commander, General Mohammad Pakpour, and Ali Shamkhani, the head of the national defence council, were killed in Saturday’s attacks, according to the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan online news portal.
At least 133 civilians have been killed, and 200 civilians injured during the US-Israel war on Iran, according to the US-based organisation HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency).
At least 59 incidents have been recorded across 18 provinces in Iran, according to HRANA, which described “a large-scale, multi-wave operation”. Tehran recorded the highest number of incident, it said.
Schools and spaces associated with children and students were among the sites damaged, it said, adding that damage has also been reported “in urban areas and other civilian locations, including residential neighborhoods and workplaces”.
Earlier, Iran’s ambassador to the UN accused Donald Trump of lying about the justification of military strikes to “manufacture consent for unlawful war”.
Amir-Saeid Iravani told the emergency UN Security Council meeting that Iran has the right to self-defense, and that hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured in the US-Israeli operation, calling the strikes a war crime.
Israel and US have attacked Iran. They have violated international law and the charter of the United Nations. They must be held accountable.
The council of the Iranian president, head of the judiciary and one of the jurists of the Guardian council, a 12-member body that vets laws, will temporarily assume leadership duties in Iran, the Islamic Republic News Agency has reported.
There has been only one other transfer of power since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution – back in 1989, when Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died.
The supreme leader is appointed by an 88-member clerical panel, called the Assembly of Experts. Under Iranian law, the Assembly of Experts must pick a successor “as soon as possible”. In the meantime, a leadership council can “temporarily assume all the duties of leadership.”
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Hundreds of thousands of travellers have been stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace following the US-Israel war on Iran.
There also was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said, after the government there announced a “temporary and partial closure” of its airspace.
That led to the closure of key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines. The three major airlines that operate at those airports – Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad – typically have about 90,000 passengers per day passing through those hubs and even more travellers headed to destinations in the Middle East, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
China’s ministry of foreign affairs has expressed concern over the US-Israeli strikes against Iran and called for an immediate ceasefire, urging all sides to avoid escalation and to resume dialogue and negotiation.
In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected.
Iran Guards vow 'most ferocious offensive operation in history' against US bases, Israel
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they would launch the “most ferocious” operation in history against Israeli and US bases.
“The most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s armed forces will begin any moment now,” the Guards said in a post on Telegram.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war on Iran. Here is where things stand:
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been killed, state media has confirmed, after the US and Israel launched a war on the country to trigger regime change. The US president had earlier announced the death of the ayatollah, who ruled Iran since 1989, in a post on Truth Social. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote. His death was later confirmed by Iranian state media.
It came after waves of air attacks across the country. Iran’s Red Crescent reported more than 200 deaths and 747 injuries in daylong attacks across 24 provinces.
Witnesses in Tehran told the Guardian that people were celebrating in the streets after news of the possible death of the supreme leader.
At least 100 people were reportedly killed in a strike that hit a primary school in Minab, in the south-east.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had earlier said there were “many signs” Khamenei was “no longer alive”, and Israeli officials briefed media that his body had been recovered.
Tehran fired retaliatory strikes against Israeli and US bases across the Middle East. Iran’s attacks targeted more than six countries, pulling in places that had been previously untouched by the escalating crisis.
In Israel, one person died and 22 others are injured, media reports said, after an Iranian missile strike hit a building in Tel Aviv. An official said the building was aflame and had partially collapsed.
In Dubai, a number of people were injured after an incident occurred at Dubai international airport, the Dubai media office has said. The Burj Al Arab and Fairmont hotels caught fire amid Iranian attacks.
The United Arab Emirates said in a statement that it had intercepted the vast majority of the 137 missiles and 209 drones fired at its territory by Iran in the hours after the US and Israel launched a regime change war on the Islamic Republic.
At least one person was killed and seven wounded during an “incident” at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed international airport, officials said after Iranian strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates and Gulf states.
World leaders urged all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table. The UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring countries, but the statement stopped short of complete support for the US-Israeli attacks.
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said British planes were “in the sky today” in the Middle East “as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies”.
The UN security council held an emergency meeting on Saturday. The session was requested by the permanent missions of France, Bahrain, China, Russia and Colombia, according to a statement by the permanent mission of Russia to the UN. The secretary general António Guterres said he “deeply regrets” that the opportunity for diplomacy had been “squandered”.
In the US, Republicans largely welcomed the attack, but prominent Democrats condemned what they called an illegal aggression.
