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

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.)

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

Mar 06, 2026, 4:20 PM EST

US says it's hit 3,000 targets in Iran

U.S. has struck 3,000 targets inside Iran and sunk 43 Iranian Navy ships in the seven days of Operation Epic Fury, CENTCOM said.

U.S. Sailors prepare ordnance on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 4, 2026.
US Navy
Mar 06, 2026, 2:17 PM EST

60% of Iran's missile launchers destroyed, IDF says

Sixty percent of Iran's missile launchers and "large amounts of missile stockpiles have been neutralized" in joint strikes by Israel and the U.S., according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Mar 06, 2026, 2:02 PM EST

US believes Russia is providing Iran intelligence, including locations of troops: Sources

The U.S. believes that Russia has been providing Iran the locations of American troops in the region, including aircraft and ships, according to two people familiar with the intelligence. An intelligence official confirmed the U.S. belief that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran.

The assistance, first reported by The Washington Post, is alarming because it would enable the Iranians to target specific locations with ballistic missiles and drones, putting U.S. service members at risk.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer crew chief marshals a B-1 after returning from a CONUS-to-CONUS mission in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 4, 2026.
US Navy

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny the report on Friday, instead saying it didn’t matter because the U.S. was still winning the war.

“It clearly is not making a difference with respect to the military operations in Iran, because we are completely decimating them,” Leavitt told reporters.

Six U.S. service members were killed last weekend during an Iranian drone attack on a base in Kuwait. At least 10 other troops have been severely wounded in operations across the region.

The CIA declined to comment and the Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has not addressed the allegations, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said previously that Iran hasn’t asked for help.

-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty

Mar 06, 2026, 1:26 PM EST

IDF says over 400 targets struck in Iran on Friday

The Israel Defense Forces said more than 400 targets, including ballistic missile launchers and drone storage facilities, were struck in several areas of Iran on Friday.

Three command centers used by Hezbollah and one used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force were among the targets attacked by Israel on Friday, the IDF said.

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