Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been killed<\/a>, 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. \u201cKhamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,\u201d Trump wrote. His death was later confirmed by Iranian state media.<\/p>\n It came after waves of air attacks across the country. Iran\u2019s Red Crescent reported more than 200 deaths and 747 injuries in daylong attacks across 24 provinces.<\/p>\n Witnesses in Tehran told the Guardian that people were celebrating in the streets after news of the possible death of the supreme leader.<\/p>\n At least 100 people were reportedly killed in a strike that hit a primary school<\/a> in Minab, in the south-east.<\/p>\n Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had earlier said there were \u201cmany signs\u201d Khamenei was \u201cno longer alive\u201d, and Israeli officials briefed media that his body had been recovered.<\/p>\n Tehran fired retaliatory strikes against Israeli and US bases across the Middle East. Iran\u2019s attacks targeted more than six countries<\/a>, pulling in places that had been previously untouched by the escalating crisis.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> in the hours after the US and Israel launched a regime change war on the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n At least one person was killed and seven wounded during an \u201cincident\u201d at Abu Dhabi\u2019s Zayed international airport, officials said after Iranian strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates and Gulf states.<\/p>\n World leaders urged all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table. The UK, France and Germany<\/a> issued a joint statement condemning Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring countries, but the statement stopped short of complete support for the US-Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said British planes were \u201cin the sky today\u201d<\/a> in the Middle East \u201cas part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies\u201d.<\/p>\n 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 Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said he \u201cdeeply regrets\u201d that the opportunity for diplomacy had been \u201csquandered\u201d.<\/p>\n In the US, Republicans largely welcomed the attack, but prominent Democrats condemned what they called an illegal aggression<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n 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 \u201cdeath to America\u201d and \u201cdeath to Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n State media has reported that 40 days of public mourning and seven days of public holidays will be observed.<\/p>\n Thousands of mourners gather at Enqelab square in Tehran following death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPACrowds in Enqelab Square carry Iranian flags to mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death was confirmed by state media. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPAThe mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted \u201cdeath to America\u201d and \u201cdeath to Israel\u201d at a gathering at Enqelab Square. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPAShare<\/a>Several loud bangs heard over Dubai – reports<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Major shipping companies have suspended navigation through the Gulf, citing the evolving security situation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cimmediate effect\u201d. It has also suspended passage through the Suez Canal until further notice.<\/p>\n 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, \u201cuntil further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n Danish company Maersk has also warned clients of possible delivery delays due to ships being re-routed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Sirens across central Israel and occupied West Bank<\/p>\n Air raid sirens were activated across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as Israel\u2019s military said it was responding to Iranian missile fire.<\/p>\n \u201cSirens were sounded in several areas across the country, following the identification of missiles launched from Iran<\/a> toward the State of Israel,\u201d a military statement said, adding that the air force was \u201coperating to intercept and strike threats where necessary\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.33 EST<\/p>\n Loud explosions heard near Erbil airport<\/p>\n Loud explosions were heard early on Sunday near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq\u2019s autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP reported. Thick black smoke was rising from the airport area.<\/p>\n On Saturday, US-led coalition forces downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n More details are emerging on who will lead Iran<\/a> during a transition period, following Khamenei\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and another official from the country\u2019s legal council will be part of the trio overseeing the transition, according to state television which cited Mohammad Mokhber, one of Khamenei\u2019s advisors.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> for key government and military jobs, in an effort to ensure regime survival in the face of a US-Israeli attack.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Iran confirms deaths of Guards chief and senior security official<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s judiciary has confirmed the deaths of two senior military figures. The Guards\u2019 commander, General Mohammad Pakpour, and Ali Shamkhani, the head of the national defence council, were killed in Saturday\u2019s attacks, according to the Iranian judiciary\u2019s Mizan online news portal.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> (Human Rights Activists News Agency).<\/p>\n At least 59 incidents have been recorded across 18 provinces in Iran, according to HRANA, which described \u201ca large-scale, multi-wave operation\u201d. Tehran recorded the highest number of incident, it said.<\/p>\n Schools and spaces associated with children and students were among the sites damaged, it said, adding that damage has also been reported \u201cin urban areas and other civilian locations, including residential neighborhoods and workplaces\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Earlier, Iran\u2019s ambassador to the UN accused Donald Trump of lying about the justification of military strikes to \u201cmanufacture consent for unlawful war\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n double quotation markIsrael and US have attacked Iran. They have violated international law and the charter of the United Nations. They must be held accountable.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, the Islamic Republic News Agency has reported.<\/p>\n There has been only one other transfer of power since Iran\u2019s 1979 Islamic Revolution \u2013 back in 1989, when Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cas soon as possible\u201d. In the meantime, a leadership council can \u201ctemporarily assume all the duties of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.34 EST<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. <\/p>\n There also was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said, after the government there announced a \u201ctemporary and partial closure\u201d of its airspace.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad \u2013 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n China\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said Iran\u2019s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Iran Guards vow ‘most ferocious offensive operation in history’ against US bases, Israel<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they would launch the \u201cmost ferocious\u201d operation in history against Israeli and US bases.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s armed forces will begin any moment now,\u201d the Guards said in a post on Telegram.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Opening summary<\/p>\n Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war on Iran<\/a>. Here is where things stand:<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ali Khamenei has been killed<\/a>, 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. \u201cKhamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,\u201d Trump wrote. His death was later confirmed by Iranian state media.<\/p>\n It came after waves of air attacks across the country. Iran\u2019s Red Crescent reported more than 200 deaths and 747 injuries in daylong attacks across 24 provinces.<\/p>\n Witnesses in Tehran told the Guardian that people were celebrating in the streets after news of the possible death of the supreme leader.<\/p>\n At least 100 people were reportedly killed in a strike that hit a primary school<\/a> in Minab, in the south-east.<\/p>\n Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had earlier said there were \u201cmany signs\u201d Khamenei was \u201cno longer alive\u201d, and Israeli officials briefed media that his body had been recovered.<\/p>\n Tehran fired retaliatory strikes against Israeli and US bases across the Middle East. Iran\u2019s attacks targeted more than six countries<\/a>, pulling in places that had been previously untouched by the escalating crisis.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> in the hours after the US and Israel launched a regime change war on the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n At least one person was killed and seven wounded during an \u201cincident\u201d at Abu Dhabi\u2019s Zayed international airport, officials said after Iranian strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates and Gulf states.<\/p>\n World leaders urged all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table. The UK, France and Germany<\/a> issued a joint statement condemning Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring countries, but the statement stopped short of complete support for the US-Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said British planes were \u201cin the sky today\u201d<\/a> in the Middle East \u201cas part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies\u201d.<\/p>\n 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 Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said he \u201cdeeply regrets\u201d that the opportunity for diplomacy had been \u201csquandered\u201d.<\/p>\n In the US, Republicans largely welcomed the attack, but prominent Democrats condemned what they called an illegal aggression<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Iran\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4614.jpg\")
Iran\u2019s UN ambassador calls strikes a \u2018war crime\u2019, saying regime has \u2018right to self-defence\u2019 \u2013 videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n