He is the son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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.)
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The State Department announced on Wednesday that a charter flight for American citizens stuck in the Middle East is en route to the United States, "as part of our ongoing efforts to assist Americans return home."
The agency said additional flights will be departing from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The American Foreign Service Association, in a statement on Wednesday, said the current crisis in the Middle East "exposes real gaps in America's diplomatic readiness" and says leadership gaps -- notably the lack of Senate-confirmed ambassadors at several postings in the region -- are "impossible to ignore."
AFSA is the union and professional organization of the U.S. Foreign Service and represents 23,000 active and retired Foreign Service employees.
"At a moment of escalating regional instability, that absence of Senate-confirmed leadership matters. At the same time, attempts to push through reductions in force have left many of these embassies and the offices that support them critically understaffed," AFSA said.
"The safety of America’s diplomats and their families must remain paramount. America cannot safeguard its national interests if it cannot safeguard the diplomats who advance them. AFSA will continue urging foreign affairs agencies and policymakers to ensure that those serving overseas have the leadership, expertise, and resources they need to carry out their mission safely," the union continued.
-ABC News' Mariam Khan
The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Democratic-led Iran war powers resolution that called for congressional approval for military action against Iran.
The procedural vote, which directed the removal of United States armed forces from hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress, failed by a vote of 47 to 53.
Sen. Rand Paul, who co-sponsored the resolution, was the only Republican to cast a vote in favor of it. Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against it.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Cyprus and Italy on Wednesday about the situation in Iran and the Middle East, according to his spokesperson.
Rubio thanked Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud for Saudi Arabia's response to the attack this week on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, according to Rubio's spokesperson.
"They also discussed the continued threats the Iranian regime poses to regional stability, as well as other developments in the region," the spokesperson said.
Rubio told Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan "that attacks on Turkey's sovereign territory were unacceptable and pledged full support from the United States," the spokesperson said.
On his calls with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the leaders "reaffirmed the strong partnership" between the two countries, the spokesperson said.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston
