Israel said its strikes targeted the Iranian regime leadership and military commanders, including Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian. Iranian state media, citing Iran\u2019s senior officials, reported that Khamenei was not in Tehran and was taken to a secure location, while Pezeshkian is safe.<\/p>\n
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister who has been leading the nuclear talks for the Iranian delegation, promised that Iran\u2019s army \u201cwill teach aggressors the lesson they deserve\u201d.<\/p>\n
Further explosions were reported in Gulf nations, including the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, all of which host US military bases. One person was killed from shrapnel from an Iranian missile in Abu Dhabi, UAE officials said.<\/p>\n
US president Donald Trump described the US military campaign as \u201cmassive and ongoing\u201d as he called on the people of Iran to \u201ctake over your government\u201d. In a speech posted on Truth Social, he said the US would \u201craze their [Iran\u2019s] missile industry to the ground\u201d and claimed Tehran had refused to reach a deal with the US that would have averted war.<\/p>\n
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the American-Israeli attack could \u201ccreate the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands\u201d.<\/p>\n
World leaders have urged all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table. The UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Iran\u2019s retaliatory attacks on neighbouring countries but it stopped short of complete support for the US-Israeli attacks on Tehran.<\/p>\n
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has said British planes \u201care in the sky today\u201d in the Middle East \u201cas part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies\u201d.<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a010.26 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 16m ago<\/p>\n UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 20m ago<\/p>\n Netanyahu and Trump hold phone call<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 29m ago<\/p>\n Iran supreme leader and president still alive, says foreign minister<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 38m ago<\/p>\n Maps: US-Israeli joint military operation in Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 42m ago<\/p>\n Regime change in Iran is ‘mission impossible’, says Tehran foreign minister<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 1h ago<\/p>\n British planes ‘in the sky’ in Middle East protecting our people, interests and allies, says Starmer<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Reactions from US lawmakers after Trump strikes Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n UK, Germany and France condemn Iranian attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 2h ago<\/p>\n Pictured: Tehran compound of Iran’s supreme leader heavily damaged<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Analysis: Trump\u2019s unprovoked attack on Iran has no mandate \u2013 or legal basis<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n World leaders react to attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 3h ago<\/p>\n Iran will ‘teach aggressors lesson they deserve’, says Tehran foreign minister<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Iran missile strikes Kuwait base hosting Italian troops, official says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Oman foreign minister ‘dismayed’ by attacks, tells US ‘this is not your war’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia condemns Iran attacks against Gulf nations<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n 40 killed in girls’ school in Iran after US-Israel attack, state media says<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4h ago<\/p>\n Bahrain authorities evacuate people from US base location<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n Airlines that have cancelled flights to the region<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n British Airways cancels flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 5h ago<\/p>\n What we know so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Iran’s supreme leader and president were targets of attack – reports<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Analysis: Yet another mid-talks attack jeopardises chances of Iran taking Trump seriously<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Foreign office issues warning to British nationals in region amid attacks<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n One person killed in Abu Dhabi, says UAE defence ministry<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Iran targets US bases in Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n US navy fleet ‘subject to missile attack’ in Bahrain<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 6h ago<\/p>\n Iran launch missiles at US base in Bahrain – report<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Gulf countries close airspace<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Iranian officials ‘main target’ of US-Israel strikes – reports<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n ‘No red lines’ in Iran’s response to attacks, says official<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Flights suspended and airspaces closed in region<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n What we know so far<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 7h ago<\/p>\n Netanyahu: Attacks on Iran to remove ‘existential threat’<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Netanyahu: US-Israel attacks against Iran will allow Iranians to topple Ayatollah regime<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n ‘Take over your government’, Trump tells Iranian people<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Iran launched missiles at Israel, says IDF<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Schools and workplaces closed in Jerusalem until Monday<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n ‘We are going to raze their missile industry to the ground’ – Trump<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 8h ago<\/p>\n Lay down your arms or ‘face certain death’, Trump tells Revolutionary Guards<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n US military has launched ‘major combat operations’ in Iran – Trump<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Mobile phone services cut in Iran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Blasts heard in several cities – reports<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Images show smoke rising from Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Iran closes its airspace<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not in Tehran<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Loud blasts and columns of smoke in Tehran, report AFP journalists<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 9h ago<\/p>\n Israel strikes Iran<\/p>\n <\/a>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Pictures: Aftermath of US and Israeli strikes in Tehran<\/p>\n Flames rise in an area in Tehran, Iran, in this screengrab obtained from social media video. Photograph: Social Media\/ReutersPeople gather near burnt vehicles in Tehran, Iran, in this screengrab obtained from social media video. Photograph: Social Media\/ReutersSmoke rises in central Tehran after Israel attack. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPAHeavy traffic jams in Tehran following an Israeli attack. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPAShare<\/a>UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting<\/p>\n The UN Security Council called an emergency meeting after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran<\/a> and retaliatory strikes by Tehran.<\/p>\n The emergency 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.<\/p>\n The session, due to start at 4pm local time (9pm GMT), will address \u201cthe situation in the Middle East\u201d, the UN said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Netanyahu and Trump hold phone call<\/p>\n The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has posted a photo on social media showing him holding a phone call.<\/p>\n The post says he was having a conversation with US president Donald Trump. Netanyahu is pictured at a desk with the book Allies at War by Tim Bouverie.<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a> Imagery captured by Airbus shows the compound associated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a> in Tehran appears to have been heavily damaged or destroyed.<\/p>\n The site is widely understood to function as the official residence and administrative compound of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader.<\/p>\n Drone footage of the compound associated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, georeferenced. Photograph: Airbus Defence and SpaceDrone footage of the compound associated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, georeferenced. Photograph: Airbus Defence and SpaceShare<\/a>Iran supreme leader and president still alive, says foreign minister<\/p>\n Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, told NBC News that Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian were still alive \u201cas far as I know\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAll high ranking officials are alive,\u201d he said. \u201cSo everybody is now in its position, and we are handling this situation, and everything is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel said earlier today that its strikes targeted the Iranian regime leadership and military commanders, including Khamenei and Pezeshkian. Their whereabouts is unknown but Iranian media reported that Khamenei is due to speak today.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Maps: US-Israeli joint military operation in Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikesMap of US-Israeli strike targets in Iran, including capital Tehran<\/a>Locations of US air bases in the Middle East targeted by Iranian strikes, including Jordan, Kueait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.<\/a>Share<\/a>Regime change in Iran is ‘mission impossible’, says Tehran foreign minister<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Trump\u2019s goal for regime change in Iran<\/a> is \u201cmission impossible\u201d.<\/p>\n He said Iran is attacking US military<\/a> facilities in the Middle East region and not \u201cAmericans in their land\u201d, but he added that his country was interested in de-escalation and ready to talk once the US-Israeli strikes end.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no communication right now,\u201d he said in an interview with NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if Americans wants to talk to us. They know how they can contact me. We are certainly interested for de-escalation\u2026 This is a war of choice by the United States, and they have to pay for that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut as far as we are concerned, we don\u2019t want war.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that US forces were attacking Iranians \u201cbut this is not what we are going to do\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWe are attacking the Americans bases, military bases in the region, and military installations and facilities, and this is only as an act of self-defence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not the one who starts this aggression,\u201d he added. \u201cIt was the United States and Israel who started this aggression. So there is no limit for us to defend ourselves, but once the aggression is stopped, we would also stop our self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about Trump\u2019s remarks in a recorded speech about regime change in Iran, Araghchi responded:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is mission impossible. You cannot do regime change while millions of people are supporting the so-called regime,\u201d he said, adding that millions of people across Iran came out in support of the government to mark the recent anniversary of the 1979 revolution.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, there are also people who are complaining, but they are strong supporters of the regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n UN secretary general Ant\u00f3nio Guterres condemned the US-Israel military action and Iran\u2019s response.<\/p>\n In a statement, he said:<\/p>\n double quotation markI call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation. Failing to do so risks a wider regional conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability. I strongly encourage all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n I reiterate that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN charter. The charter provides the foundation for the maintenance of international peace and security.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a> is reportedly going to speak soon, according to Iranian media.<\/p>\n We will bring you more as we get it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Summary of developments so far<\/p>\n The US and Israel have launched a joint military operation against Iran, prompting Tehran to fire retaliatory strikes against Israel and US bases across the Middle East.<\/p>\n Explosions rocked the Iranian capital Tehran, with satellite imagery showing extensive damage at the secure compound of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>, though his whereabouts remains unclear.<\/p>\n Israel said its strikes targeted the Iranian regime leadership and military commanders, including Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian. Iranian state media, citing Iran\u2019s senior officials, reported that Khamenei was not in Tehran and was taken to a secure location, while Pezeshkian is safe.<\/p>\n Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister who has been leading the nuclear talks for the Iranian delegation, promised that Iran\u2019s army \u201cwill teach aggressors the lesson they deserve\u201d.<\/p>\n Further explosions were reported in Gulf nations, including the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, all of which host US military bases. One person was killed from shrapnel from an Iranian missile in Abu Dhabi, UAE officials said.<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump described the US military campaign as \u201cmassive and ongoing\u201d as he called on the people of Iran to \u201ctake over your government\u201d. In a speech posted on Truth Social, he said the US would \u201craze their [Iran\u2019s] missile industry to the ground\u201d and claimed Tehran had refused to reach a deal with the US that would have averted war.<\/p>\n Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the American-Israeli attack could \u201ccreate the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands\u201d.<\/p>\n World leaders have urged all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table. The UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Iran\u2019s retaliatory attacks on neighbouring countries but it stopped short of complete support for the US-Israeli attacks on Tehran.<\/p>\n UK prime minister Keir Starmer has said British planes \u201care in the sky today\u201d in the Middle East \u201cas part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies\u201d.<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.26 EST<\/p>\n British planes ‘in the sky’ in Middle East protecting our people, interests and allies, says Starmer<\/p>\n Sir Keir Starmer has said British planes \u201care in the sky today\u201d in the Middle East \u201cas part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies\u201d.<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe are also reaching out to UK nationals in the region and doing everything we can to support them.<\/p>\n![\"Vehicles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772294889_147_1920.jpg\")
Vehicles burn in Tehran after US-Israeli strikes \u2013\u00a0videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Donna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Donna_Ferguson.png\")
Donna Ferguson<\/p>\nVehicles burn in Tehran after US-Israeli strikes \u2013\u00a0videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n