Trump on Khamenei: Iran Leader Reportedly Dead – Live Updates

Iranian media report death of Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter

Iranian media reported on Sunday that the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in US and Israeli strikes.

“After establishing contact with informed sources in the Supreme Leader’s household, the news of the martyrdom of the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the Revolutionary Leader has unfortunately been confirmed,” Fars news agency and other Iranian media reported.

Israel says strikes target Iran missile, air defence sites

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes targeting Iranian ballistic missile and air defence sites on Sunday.

Israeli forces began “an additional strike wave targeting the ballistic missile array and the aerial defence systems belonging to the Iranian terror regime”, a military statement said.

Israel, US launched strikes as Iranian leader met with inner circle, sources say

Israel and the US timed their attack on Iran on Saturday to coincide with a meeting the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was holding with top aides, according to two U.S. sources and a US official ​familiar with the ‌matter.

Israel said Khamenei was killed along with top lieutenants including Ali Shamkhani, ⁠the powerful former National Security Council secretary, and Mohammad Pakpour, Islamic Revolutionary

Guard Corps (IRGC) commander.

Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Khamenei met on Saturday with ‌Shamkhani and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani at a secure location shortly ⁠before the strikes started.

Iranians across North America take to the streets for – and against – strikes

Iranians in Los Angeles took to the streets to cheer the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Saturday, joining protests in support of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran across the North American diaspora.

In the West Coast city, singing and ululating protesters marched with flags of Shah-era Iran, carrying posters bearing US President Donald Trump’s image and wearing shirts that said “Free Iran,” an AFP reporter saw.

Their protest came as Trump said Saturday afternoon the strikes had killed Khamenei, though many marches started earlier in the day when news of the bombings first broke.

One killed, seven wounded in ‘incident’ at Abu Dhabi airport

At least one person was killed and seven wounded during an “incident” at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, officials said Sunday after Iranian strikes targeting the UAE and Gulf states.

“Abu Dhabi Airports confirmed an incident at Zayed International Airport that resulted in one death of an Asian national and seven injuries,” the body that manages the airport said in a statement posted on X.

White House releases photos of Trump, Vance during Iran ops

The White House on Saturday released a photo of US President Donald Trump and a handful of his top advisors monitoring the progress of joint US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.

Trump has announced that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks, but there is no confirmation from Tehran.

The picture shows Trump, in a suit jacket, white shirt and a white “USA” baseball cap, seated with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles at a table, with a partially obscured map marked “Operation Epic Fury” behind them.

All of their faces are solemn.

Airspace closed, flights cancelled as US-Iran conflict flares

Flights across the Middle East were cancelled Saturday as several countries closed their airspace after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies in the hours after smoke began rising over Tehran and Iran began retaliatory attacks in the region.

Iran envoy to UN slams civilian deaths as ‘war crime’

The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations on Saturday alleged the US and Israel had committed a “war crime,” saying their strikes had targeted civilian infrastructure and killed more than 100 children at a school.

“The number of innocent civilians continues to rise. This is not only an act of aggression, it is a war crime and a crime against humanity,” Amir Saeid Iravani told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Iranians celebrate after reports of Khamenei death

Iranians took to the streets cheering with joy and playing celebratory music after reports of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death, according to video footage verified by AFP.

There was no confirmation from Iran, but US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social network that “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead”.

Iranians blared music, cheered, clapped and honked their car horns, according to videos on Telegram verified by AFP.

The celebrations began even before Trump’s post, in response to other reports of Khamenei’s death, shortly after 11 pm (1930 GMT), according to multiple witnesses and audio recordings.

The witnesses said at the time that loud cheers echoed across parts of Tehran and residents took to their windows to applaud and play loud music.

CMA CGM shipowners tells its vessels in Gulf to ‘take shelter’

French shipping group CMA CGM issued a statement Saturday telling its vessels in the Gulf to “take shelter” and suspending passage through the Suez Canal because of the regional conflict.

It became the second major shipping company to order its vessels away from the Gulf after US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to retaliate with missile strikes at multiple targets across the region.

“All ships currently in the Gulf, or on route to the Gulf, have received the instruction, with immediate effect, to take shelter,” said the statement from CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest shipping company.

Israel first responders say woman killed after Iran missile attack in Tel Aviv area

Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom said on Saturday that a woman was killed in the Tel Aviv area after Iran fired a barrage of missiles towards Israel.

“Paramedics have confirmed the death of a woman in her 40s with severe injuries,” MDA said.

UAE says 137 missiles, 209 drones fired at its territory, says defence ministry

The UAE said the vast majority of the 137 missiles and 209 drones fired at its territory by Iran were destroyed or intercepted, the defence ministry said Sunday, as Tehran launched a barrage of projectiles at Gulf states after being attacked by the US and Israel.

“The ministry expressed that it is on high alert and readiness to deal with any threats, and that it is taking all necessary measures to firmly confront everything that targets the disruption of the country’s security and stability, and affirmed that the safety of citizens, residents and visitors represents an utmost priority that cannot be compromised,” the ministry said a statement posted on X.

Rubio cancels Israel visit after Iran attack: State Department

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will no longer travel to Israel on a trip announced for Monday after a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, the State Department said.

“Due to current circumstances, Secretary Rubio will no longer travel to Israel on March 2,” Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X on Saturday.

Dubai airport damaged, four wounded in ‘incident’

Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, was damaged and four staff were injured in an “incident”, it said on Saturday following waves of Iranian missile attacks.

“A concourse at Dubai International sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained,” Dubai Airports said in a statement, adding: “Due to contingency plans already in place, most of the terminals were previously cleared of passengers.”

At UN, Gulf states slam ‘cowardly’ Iran attacks

Gulf states condemned Iran’s “cowardly” attacks in response to US and Israeli strikes, in a joint statement read by Bahrain’s ambassador during an emergency meeting at the UN Security Council.

“We hold the government of Iran fully responsible for these attacks, and we reject any justifications or explanations to justify this hostile behavior or to manipulate rules of international law,” said Jamal Fares Alrowaiei.

The UN Charter “does not justify in any way these cowardly attacks,” he added on behalf of the six Gulf Cooperation Council members: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain, as well as Syria and Jordan.

Son of Iran’s late shah says Islamic republic enters ‘dustbin of history’

The son of Iran’s late shah hailed the reported killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the Islamic republic that replaced his pro-Western father was finished.

“With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history,” Reza Pahlavi wrote on X.

UAE defence ministry says it destroyed 132 missiles launched, intercepted 195 drones from Iran