LIVE: Iran Vows Revenge After The Killing Of Its Top Leader
Iran vows revenge for Khamenei killing “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg”
An Oman port and an oil tanker off its coast were attacked Sunday, official media said, marking the first strikes on the sultanate -- which mediated US-Iran talks -- since Tehran launched a retaliation campaign.
Iran's continued Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.
"A security source reported that the commercial port of Duqm was targeted by two drones," the Oman News Agency said in a social media post.
"One drone struck a mobile workers' accommodation, injuring one foreign worker, while debris from the other landed near fuel tanks, causing no casualties or material damage," it added.
Shortly after, Oman said an oil tanker was targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated and four of them were injured, the news agency reported.
What to know so far:
- How we got here: The joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, which officials say was planned for months, followed unsuccessful negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program and warnings from Trump. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting U.S. military installations in the region.
- Arafi to lead temporarily: Alireza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as the jurist member of Iran’s Leadership Council, a body tasked with fulfilling the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader, Reuters report said citing ISNA news agency.
- Violence in Pakistan: At least six people have been killed in Karachi after protesters stormed the US Consulate in response to the killing of Khamenei. Local authorities report the situation is currently under “control” but remains volatile.
- Regional retaliation: Iran has launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes. Explosions have been reported for a second consecutive day in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.
- Humanitarian toll: The Iranian Red Crescent reports over 201 fatalities nationwide, including a strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran with at least 85 feared dead.
- Airport Disruptions in Gulf: Major flight cancellations reported at Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai airports due to ongoing drone activity and interceptions by Saudi and Jordanian defences.
- Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister killed in airstrike: Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister were killed in an airstrike targeting a meeting of the country’s defense council, Iranian state television reported Sunday.
Live Updates
- 28 Feb 2026 9:44 PM IST
Explosion at Dubai landmark The Palm: Witnesses
DUBAI: Two witnesses told AFP they heard an explosion and saw a plume of smoke rising from Dubai's famed man-made island The Palm as authorities reported four injured.
The attack came as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes in the oil-rich Gulf following US and Israeli attacks -- rattling a region long seen as a haven of peace and security.
One of the witnesses said he saw thick black smoke rising from a hotel on the Palm and heard ambulances rushing towards the scene.
The Dubai media office later confirmed an "incident" in a building in the Palm Jumeirah area that resulted in a fire and four people injured.
"Dubai Civil Defence has confirmed that the resulting fire is now under control. Four individuals sustained injuries and have been transferred to medical facilities," it added.
The incident targeting a Dubai landmark shocked residents, and was followed by several bangs heard by Dubai residents and AFP correspondents in the city.
Roughly 90 percent of the UAE's population consists of foreigners and Dubai is its most populated city, long associated with opulence and glamour.
Iran launched strikes on all the oil-rich Gulf countries except for Oman, a mediator in the US-Iran talks. — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:42 PM IST
Iran closes all universities until further orders: State media
TEHRAN: Iran announced on Saturday the closure of all universities until further notice after Israel and the United States launched strikes against the Islamic republic.
"The Minister of Science announced the closure of universities across the country until further notice," the official IRNA news agency reported. — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:39 PM IST
Dozens of missiles fired at Israel by Iran
The Israeli military say that that “dozens” of missiles have been fired by Iran at Israel.
While many have been intercepted and no serious injuries have been reported, the missile barrages were continuing after sundown. Israel’s military chief gave an address on national television, warning that the defenses aren’t “hermetic” and the public should obey safety instructions and remain vigilant. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:24 PM IST
Leading Democrat denounces US strikes on Iran
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia has questioned whether President Donald Trump has learned anything “from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East.”
Kaine has spearheaded bipartisan war powers resolutions to limit Trump’s military interventions abroad.
“For months, I have raised hell about the fact that the American people want lower prices, not more war — especially wars that aren’t authorized by Congress, as required by the Constitution, and don’t have a clear objective,” Kaine said in a statement.
“These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives,” he said.
Kaine also called for the U.S. Senate to “immediately return” to the Capitol and vote on whether to authorize or limit U.S. strikes against Iran. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:14 PM IST
Egyptian leader speaks with Saudi crown prince
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has spoken by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman following an Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia.
El-Sissi expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, and stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to “contain the escalation” in the region.
“Continued military escalation will only bring more suffering to the people of the region and undermine development opportunities,” el-Sissi said. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:12 PM IST
New strikes hit targets near Shiraz
Explosions have been heard in surrounding areas of the major city in the south of Iran, according to the semiofficial news agency Fars news. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:10 PM IST
Iran's president condemns 'barbaric' attack on school after US, Israeli strikes
TEHRAN: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday condemned what he described as a "barbaric" attack on a school in the country's south, after US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.
"This barbaric act is another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors," said Pezeshkian in a statement on the attack, which Iranian state media has said killed at least 63 people and wounded dozens more. — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:08 PM IST
Israel army says currently striking Iran's missile launchers
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it had started a new wave of strikes against Iran's missile launchers on Saturday.
The military "has begun a flyover and is currently striking missile launchers in Iran to thwart the threat posed to the State of Israel," it said, after earlier reporting it had completed a "broad strike" against Iran's defence systems. — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 9:03 PM IST
Drone strikes Kuwait airport, causing light injuries: Civil aviation
KUWAIT CITY: A drone struck Kuwait's international airport on Saturday, the civil aviation authority said, causing minor injuries as Iran retaliated across the Gulf for US and Israeli strikes.
"A drone targeted Kuwait International Airport, resulting in minor injuries to a number of employees, in addition to limited material damage to the passenger terminal," the authority said in a statement. — AFP
