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, 7:36 PM EST

Israeli military says it attacked Iran oil facilities

Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Saturday evening that it struck several fuel storage depots in Tehran.

An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, on March 7, 2026.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

"The military forces of the Iranian terror regime use these fuel tanks directly and frequently to operate military infrastructure, and with their help, the Iranian terror regime transfers fuel to various consumers, including military entities in Iran," the IDF said in a statement.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaulé

Mar 07, 2026, 5:34 PM EST

Trump rebuffs Kurdish forces, says ground troops could 'possibly' go into Iran

President Donald Trump said there could "possibly" be ground troops going into Iran, but "there would have to be very good reason" to send them.

"And I would say, if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn't be able to fight at the ground level," he added.

Trump was strong in his opposition to the U.S. using Kurdish forces against Iran, saying "I've told them, I don't want them."

He added, “We're not looking to the Kurds going in. We're very friendly with the Kurds, as you know, but we don't want to make the war any more complex than it already is. I don't want the Kurds going in,” Trump said. 

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

Mar 07, 2026, 5:07 PM EST

Trump attends dignified transfer of fallen soldiers

Trump attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Saturday afternoon for the service members who were killed in Kuwait.

The president spoke with the soldiers' families and saluted as the bodies were transferred from the military jet.

PHOTO: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump, special envoy Steve Witkoff, First Lady Melania Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi attend a dignified transfer event for six US soldiers at Dover Air Force Base, on March 7, 2026.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump, special envoy Steve Witkoff, First Lady Melania Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi attend a dignified transfer solemn event for six US soldiers at Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Delaware, on March 7, 2026.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

When asked by a reporter if what he just witnessed at the dignified transfer makes him think differently about going ahead with this war-- or putting troops on the ground in the Middle East, Trump responded, "We're winning the war by a lot."

Read more here.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

Mar 07, 2026, 4:24 PM EST

Trump appears to preemptively reject British offers to send warships to Iran

President Donald Trump claimed on social media Saturday that the United Kingdom is "giving serious thought" to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East but he preemptively rejected any offer.

"That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!" Trump said.

Trump has been vocally critical of Starmer for not allowing the U.S. to use military bases in the U.K. during the Iran strikes.

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