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 07, 2026, 6:20 AM EST

Dubai, Emirates say airline 'will resume operations' after temporary suspension

Dubai and its long-haul carrier Emirates said Saturday that the airline would resume operations after briefly suspending them.

The Dubai Media Office posted the following on social media just after 11:30 a.m. local time: "For the safety of passengers, airport staff, and airline crew, operations at Dubai International (DXB) have been temporarily suspended. All procedures are being managed in line with established safety protocols."

Emirates then posted this on social media at 11:40 a.m. local time: "Emirates will resume operations. Passengers who have confirmed bookings for this afternoon’s flights may proceed to the airport. This includes customers transiting in Dubai, if their connecting flight is also operating." The airline added that it "continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly."

The Dubai Media Office posted the following on social media at 12:18 p.m. local time: "Emirates Airlines resumes its operations this Saturday afternoon."

Neither gave a reason for the temporary suspension.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

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

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