Meanwhile,\u00a0three members of the US military have been \u201ckilled in action\u201d and five \u201cseriously wounded\u201d in the operation against Iran, the Pentagon said without providing further detail. These were the first casualties of any kind among US personnel to be announced since the United States launched massive bombardments against Iran and killed its supreme leader on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Iran launched strikes across the Gulf after vowing to avenge slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defying a threat from President Donald Trump to strike with unprecedented force.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards announced a fresh \u201clarge-scale\u201d attack on Sunday, and blasts were heard in Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, with Israeli rescue services reporting four people killed in the latest missile attack.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Khamenei\u2019s killing a \u201cdeclaration of war against Muslims\u201d and warned: \u201cIran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. Bombs Iran With Shahed-136 Clones: CENTCOM Confirms LUCAS Drone Debut in Operation Epic Fury<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Israel described Khamenei\u2019s death as a \u201cfirst step\u201d, and military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani boasted that the joint operation \u201celiminated 40 senior commanders, including Khamenei, in one minute in two different locations over a thousand miles from Israel in broad daylight\u201d.<\/p>\n In a social media post that adopted Trump\u2019s style and rhetoric, Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council, declared: \u201cToday we will hit them with a force that they have never experienced before.\u201d<\/p>\n International reactions to the conflict have been mixed, with Pope Leo XIV urging both sides to end \u201cthe spiral of violence\u201d, while China condemned Khamenei\u2019s killing as a \u201cserious violation of Iran\u2019s sovereignty\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran \u201cCloses\u201d Strait of Hormuz, Report Claims! Who Will Be Worst Affected as IRGC Blocks Critical Chokepoint?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n France, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction at the death of \u201ca bloodthirsty dictator who oppressed his people, degraded women, young people, and minorities\u201d.<\/p>\n Blasts were heard in northern Tehran, and smoke was seen emanating from a building, an AFP journalist reported. It was not immediately clear what the target was.<\/p>\n Earlier, cheers had been heard as some Iranians celebrated reports of the death of their longtime leader, but after state media confirmed his killing, pro-government demonstrations also formed, chanting \u201cDeath to America!\u201d<\/p>\n Op Epic Fury: 3 U.S. Military Personnel Killed, 5 Seriously Injured During Operations Against Iran: CENTCOM<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n As crowds demanded revenge \u2014 and Iran\u2019s army announced strikes targeting US bases in the Gulf and Iraqi Kurdistan \u2014 Trump threatened to unleash \u201cforce that has never been seen before\u201d and urged Iran\u2019s people to rise up and seize power.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s first retaliatory strikes on Saturday had hit all the Gulf states apart from Oman, which had sought to mediate US-Iran talks.<\/p>\n But on Sunday, the country\u2019s commercial port of Duqm was hit by two drones, injuring a foreign worker, the Oman News Agency said.<\/p>\n Outrage at Saturday\u2019s wave of US and Israeli strikes against Iran spilled over into neighbouring Iraq and Pakistan, where crowds attempted to storm US diplomatic missions.<\/p>\n In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, at least nine people were killed by gunshot wounds during pro-Iran protests at the US consulate, according to a hospital record seen by AFP.<\/p>\n Britain urged UK citizens in the Gulf region to \u201cshelter in place\u201d, and the US mission in Jordan urged citizens to stay away from the embassy, and in Bahrain told them to avoid hotels after one was damaged in a strike.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/FORD.jpg\")
US aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford is pictured docked at Souda Bay in the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete, on February 24, 2026. Upon military orders by US President Donald Trump, the world\u2019s largest vessel is on its way to the Middle East to join 13 more warships stationed in the region: the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which arrived late last month, nine destroyers and three frigates. (Photo by Costas METAXAKIS \/ AFP)<\/p>\n