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 07, 2026, 5:13 AM EST

Iraq extends airspace closure for another 72 hours

Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday extended the closure of the country's airspace to all arriving, departing and transiting flights for an additional 72 hours "as a temporary precautionary measure," remaining in effect until Tuesday noon local time.

"This decision comes based on the continuous assessment of the security situation and developments in the regional conditions, and it will be re-evaluated in accordance with any new developments," Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority said.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

Mar 07, 2026, 4:08 AM EST

Iran’s president says there’ll be no unconditional surrender

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in televised remarks in Farsi on Saturday morning that the United States and Israel “will take their dreams of us surrendering unconditionally to the grave,” according to Iranian state media -- apparently referring to President Donald Trump’s social media post the previous day that there “will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.”

Pezeshkian also apologized to Iran’s neighbors, saying: “We have no intention of invading other countries” and that “there will be no more attacks on neighboring countries and no missile launches, unless attacks originate from those countries against Iran,” according to Iranian state-owned Press TV.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

Mar 06, 2026, 5:52 PM EST

27,000 Americans have returned to US from Middle East

The State Department says it's aware of 27,000 Americans who have safely returned to the U.S. from the Middle East since Saturday.

The State Department said it is working to proactively call Americans to offer charter flights or ground transportation.

A stranded passenger sleeps on the floor outside Dubai International Airport terminal as the airport resumes limited operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 5, 2026.
Altaf Qadri/AP

-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston

Mar 06, 2026, 5:29 PM EST

3 UN peacekeepers injured at base in Lebanon amid 'heavy firing': UNIFIL

Three United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon peacekeepers were injured inside their base in southwestern Lebanon amid heavy firing on Friday, the peacekeeping mission said.

Two of the wounded were treated at an internal medical facility and the third, who was the most severely injured, had to be transferred to a hospital in Beirut for treatment, according to UNIFIL. A fire at the base had to be extinguished, it said.

UNIFIL said it "will investigate the circumstances of this terrible event," noting it's "unacceptable that peacekeepers performing Security Council-mandated tasks are targeted."

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

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