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”
Dubai: Iran vowed revenge on Sunday after the killing of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed by state officials and US President Donald Trump, traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by a surprise US and Israeli bombardment, and rained missiles on other Gulf nations. The US military said three service members have been killed, the first known American casual ties from the conflict. In Israel, nine people died in the city of Beit Shemesh in an Iranian missile strike. Other Gulf nations began counting their dead from Iranian retaliatory strikes while Israel pledged "non stop" strikes against Iran. Iranian authorities said more than 200 people had been killed since the start of the strikes, including six senior officials apart from Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran formed a new governing council comprising senior cleric Ayatollah Aoreza Arafi, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian and Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, head of the judiciary. A senior US official said that “new potential leadership" in Iran has suggested they are open for talks with the US. Tehran attacked the UAE but said it is attacking US bases located in those countries.
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 3:37 PM IST
Iran confirms retaliation against strikes
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed in a statement the country had begun responding to the joint strikes, saying its armed forces had “commenced a decisive response to these hostile acts.”
The statement warned Iranians to avoid areas in the zones being targeted and that the government had made “prior arrangements” to ensure supply of basic necessities.
Schools and universities were ordered to close, while the statement said banks would continue to operate. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:36 PM IST
France calls on citizens to exercise extreme caution
France, whose military has bases and a regular presence in the Mideast, has called on French citizens in the region to exercise extreme caution.
''A military escalation is underway... It’s not the time for negotiations, we are in a situation of war,’' junior defense minister, Alice Rufo, told France-2 television Saturday, comparing the situation to what happened last June.
''Our priority is the protection of our citizens and protection of our forces in the region,’' she said.
Asked if French forces were involved in the U.S. and Israeli strikes or targeted in retaliatory strikes, French military spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet said: ''The French armed forces continuously adapt their posture to threats and implement measures to ensure the surveillance and protection of military installations where French soldiers are deployed.’' — AP
He would not elaborate.
''Our military presence guarantees France’s independent assessment of the situation,’' he told the AP.
- 28 Feb 2026 3:35 PM IST
Turkish Airlines suspends flights to Mideast capitals over strikes on Iran
ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines on Saturday suspended flights to 10 Middle East nations after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, with many nations closing their airspace.
"Flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan have been cancelled until March 2," spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on X, while flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman were only suspended for the day. — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:34 PM IST
Several explosions heard across Doha: AFP journalists
Several explosions were heard across Doha on Saturday as Qatar's defence ministry said it had intercepted several missile attacks targeting the Gulf state.
Blasts were heard over central Doha and near the Al-Udeid military base, the largest US military facility in the region.
An AFP journalist saw an interceptor destroy one missile in a puff of white smoke, as Qatar's defence ministry said in a statement it had "repelled a number of attacks". — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:32 PM IST
Lufthansa cancels flights to Dubai, Beirut and Oman
Lufthansa announced Saturday it has cancelled it flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7, as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, which retaliated with missile launches.
The German airline group said in a statement it and its subsidiaries were also suspending flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until Sunday. It said the cancellations were due to the "current situation in the Middle East". — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:31 PM IST
Iran makes war preparations with Iraqi militias
Two officials with different Iran-backed militias in Iraq told The Associated Press that a meeting took place two months ago between Iranian officials and allied Iraqi militias to make plans for a response in case Iran was attacked, including distributing tasks among the Iraqi armed groups.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
One of the officials said it was decided that the response would target U.S. forces and interests in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region and in neighboring Jordan.
U.S. troops have vacated bases where they were previously stationed in Iraq in areas under the control of the central government in Baghdad as a result of an agreement to end the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, but they remain in the Kurdish region.
One of the most prominent Iraqi militias, Kataib Hezbollah, on Thursday issued a public statement urging its fighters to “be prepared to engage in a war of attrition that may be prolonged and exceed the expectations of the U.S. administration.” It also issued a warning to the Kurdish regional government in Iraq “against collaborating with hostile foreign forces” that “could threaten its security and future.” — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:29 PM IST
Germany was informed in advance of Israeli strikes on Iran
Germany was informed in advance about Israel’s military strikes on Iran, a spokesman for the German executive said on Saturday, saying the German government is monitoring developments closely and is in close consultation with its European partners.
The German government’s crisis management team is scheduled to meet today at noon to discuss the situation in Iran. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has already consulted with relevant ministers and will have further talks on Saturday.
Germany also urged its nationals in Iran, Israel, and the wider region to register on the official system for citizens abroad and follow the instructions of local authorities regarding the necessary measures for their own protection.
The foreign ministry said it was in “close and constant” contact with the embassies in Iran and Israel, as well as other missions in the region. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:27 PM IST
US showed 'true face' with Iran strikes, says Russian ex-leader Medvedev
MOSCOW: Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev criticised the United States on Saturday for striking Iran, casting doubt on whether Washington entered negotiations to avert the conflict in good faith.
"The peacemaker has shown its true face once again," Medvedev, an ally of President Vladimir Putin currently serving as the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, said in a post on Telegram.
"All the talks with Iran were just a cover. No one ever doubted that. Nobody was interested in negotiating anything in particular." — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:25 PM IST
Loud explosions heard in Riyadh
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb 28, 2026 (AFP) - AFP correspondents in the Saudi capital Riyadh heard loud explosions on Saturday, after Qatar and a US base in Bahrain were struck.
Two correspondents in Riyadh said they heard a loud bang and several explosions, after Iran vowed retaliation following US and Israeli attacks. — AFP
- 28 Feb 2026 3:21 PM IST
Israel orders evacuations of areas near military facilities in Iran
The Israeli military issued a warning in Persian for the immediate evacuation of areas near weapons production and military facilities in Iran.
“Your presence in these locations puts your lives at risk,” the military said on its Persian language X account.
