LIVE: Iran Names Alireza Arafi to Leadership Council After Khamenei Killing
Israeli military says it was striking targets in central Tehran
Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to its interim leadership council, which will be at the helm of the country following the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday.
"The Expediency Discernment Council has elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the interim leadership council," said expediency council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi in a post on X.
The interim council, which will also include the president and the head of the judiciary, will lead the country until the Assembly of Experts "elects a permanent leader as soon as possible".
What to know so far:
- Khamenei has no known successor: The killing of the 86-year-old supreme leader appeared certain to create a leadership vacuum, given that he had final say on all major policies during his decades in power.
- 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.
- A war powers debate in Congress is intensifying: Lawmakers will plunge into a rare war powers debate next week that could require Trump to obtain congressional approval for his military actions in Iran. Both the House and Senate, where the GOP has a slim majority, had already drafted such a resolution long before the latest strikes.
- 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.
Live Updates
- 28 Feb 2026 11:14 PM IST
Iran Guards say Strait of Hormuz unsafe due to attacks, shut to ship transit: local media
Iran Guards say Strait of Hormuz unsafe due to attacks, shut to ship transit: local media
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipments, is unsafe due to US and Israeli attacks and was therefore closed to ships on Saturday, local media reported."The IRGC has warned various ships that due to the insecure atmosphere around the strait because of the military aggression by the US and Israel and the responses of Iran, it is not safe to pass through the strait at the moment," the Tasnim news agency reported. "With the cessation of passage of ships and tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the strait has been basically closed."Hardline Iranian political figures have threatened to close the strait in the event of a US attack, but no official decision has been taken so far. - AFP - 28 Feb 2026 11:08 PM IST
Iran’s foreign minister says supreme leader and president are alive, ‘as far as I know’ - AP
- 28 Feb 2026 11:03 PM IST
PV Sindhu stranded in Dubai as flights remain suspended
PV Sindhu stranded in Dubai as flights remain suspended
New Delhi: Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was on Saturday left stranded at Dubal airport en route to the prestigious All England Open badminton tournament, after flight operations were suspended owing to escalating of tensions in the Middle East. The tournament is scheduled to start from next Tuesday.Sindhu took to Instagram and posted a video showing a crowded airport with a caption: "All flights suspended until further notice."The US and Israel launched a major offensive on Iran on Saturday, with American President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian public to overthrow the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.The military strikes have led to a closure of air space in the Gulf region and caused disruption to several flights, including Emirates and Air India.Air India cancelled all its flight to and from the Gulf region, mainly to Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv, Israel, the airline said in a statement posted on 'X'.The Dubai airport too suspended all operations indefinitely due to airspace closures following missile strikes involving the US, Israel and Iran.- PTI
- 28 Feb 2026 11:00 PM IST
Badminton star PV Sindhu shared on Instagram that she is currently stranded in Dubai en route to London.
- 28 Feb 2026 10:42 PM IST
Israel launches new strikes on Iran
The Israeli military says it has launched a new wave of strikes targeting Iranian missile launchers and air defenses in central Iran.
Israel has been striking Iranian targets throughout the day. — AP
- 28 Feb 2026 10:18 PM IST
Life goes on for Palestinians in West Bank
Palestinians in the West Bank say they were largely unfazed, barely pausing as booms echoed across the sky from Israel’s Iron Dome intercepting missiles from Iran overhead.
Unlike Israel, Palestinian cities have no warning sirens or bomb shelters, despite the risk of falling debris or errant missiles. As people sheltered less than 10 miles away in Jerusalem, streets in Ramallah swarmed with shoppers browsing meat counters, vegetable stalls and Ramadan sweets, some stopping to record the sounds of distant sirens and missile interceptions.
But as Israel closed checkpoints to the movement of people and goods on Saturday, gas stations saw longer-than-usual lines as residents filled spare canisters in case of supply disruptions.
- 28 Feb 2026 10:17 PM IST
Morocco denounces Iran for attacking Gulf nations
Morocco, one of four countries to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 under the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords, has joined other Arab nations in condemning Iran for striking Gulf states, while remaining silent on the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran.
The North African kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it decried “the abject Iranian missile attack that violated the integrity and security of brotherly Arab states.”
