Mojtaba Khamenei chosen as Iran's next supreme leader, Iranian state media reports

He is the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, Leah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: March 9, 2026, 5:55 AM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed by airstrikes in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His successor is yet to be named.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

(Read previous Iran live updates here.)

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Mar 04, 2026, 4:11 AM EST

'No to war,' says Spanish PM after Trump criticism

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed the nation on Wednesday following President Donald Trump's threat of a full trade embargo after Spain denied the U.S. use of its bases in the war against Iran.

Women gather at the site of a strike on a police station in Tehran, Iran, on March 4, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/via Reuters

Spain's position, Sanchez said, could be summarized as, "No to war."

The Spanish leader condemned the "indiscriminate" bombing by Iran of other nations in the region. He said that the objectives of the U.S. and Israel were not clear and warned about the "serious consequences" of a potentially long war for the global economy and the cost of living for people in Spain and beyond.

Referring to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent regional instability, Sanchez said his government's position was based on "not committing the errors of the past."

"No-one" supports the theocratic regime in Tehran, Sanchez said, calling for an end to hostilities and a diplomatic solution "before it's too late."

-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge

Mar 04, 2026, 3:30 AM EST

Any new Iranian leader is 'an unequivocal target,' Katz says

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that any new leader appointed by the Iranian regime "will be an unequivocal target for elimination."

A successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- who was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Saturday -- is yet to be publicly announced.

A car passes by a billboard of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on a street in Tehran, Iran, on March 4, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/via Reuters

-ABC News' Dana Savir and Morgan Winsor

Mar 04, 2026, 3:23 AM EST

IDF launches 'broad scale strikes' on Tehran

The Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday morning that it has begun "broad scale strikes targeting" the Iranian regime in Tehran.

The announcement followed another IDF notice on Wednesday morning that it had carried out airstrikes on "dozens" of the Iranian regime's command centers.

Smoke rises following reported airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released March 3, 2026.
Social Media/via Reuters

-ABC News' Dana Savir, Jordana Miller and Morgan Winsor

Mar 04, 2026, 3:16 AM EST

Qatar Airways flights grounded until Friday

Qatar Airways said Wednesday that its flight operations "remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace," with the airline expecting to "resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace."

The airline said its next update will be provided on Friday by 9 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET).

Emirates and Qatar Airways planes sit on the tarmac at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia, on March 3, 2026.
Hollie Adams/Reuters

-ABC News' Jessica Gorman

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