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

The State Department said Sunday that it is now aware of 32,000 Americans who have safely returned to the United States from the Middle East since fighting began in Iran.

The figures do not include many Americans who have safely relocated to other countries or those who have departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States, officials said.

The State Department said it has completed nearly two dozen charter flights that have safely evacuated thousands of Americans from the Middle East.

While commercial flight availability across the region continues to improve, the State Department's charter flights and ground transport operations continue to ramp up as security conditions allow, Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for Global Public Affairs, said in a statement on X.

"At this time, more than half of American citizens who requested help departing turn down U.S. Government-provided transportation options when contacted. Some American citizens wish to remain in country, while others prefer an alternative departure option," Johnson said.

Through the State Department’s around-the-clock Task Force, the agency has directly assisted more than 19,000 Americans abroad, offering security guidance and travel assistance, Johnson said.

Johnson said Americans in need of travel assistance in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel should complete the Crisis Intake Form.

Americans in the Middle East who need assistance can call the U.S. Department of State at (202) 501-4444.

-ABC News' Chris Boccia

A member of Iran's Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for choosing the leader of the Islamic Republic, said Sunday that the majority of assembly members want the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, to be Iran's next leader.

No official decision has been made, but it is the first time an assembly member has publicly spoken out.

"The enemy is trying to disrupt a majority in-person meeting of the Assembly of Experts by attacks, but the members of the Assembly of Experts have practically reached an option," Asgar Dirbaz, member of the Assembly of Experts, said in an interview with the Mehr News Agency.

"The majority's opinion is in favor of the son of His Eminence (i.e., Ali Khamenei's son)," Dirbaz added.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

A spokesperson of Iran's foreign ministry said Sunday that the United States and Israel have taken the war into a "dangerous new phase" with attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure.

"These attacks on fuel storage facilities amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens," Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said in a post on X.

Following the attacks on oil depots of Tehran's oil depots, Iran's environmental protection agency and the Red Crescent Society warned about the risks of acid rain over the capital.

The deputy head of emergency training in Tehran, however, warned that the risk of inhaling toxic gases is greater than acid rain due to the pollution from the attack on fuel tanks in Tehran. He urged citizens to stay indoors as much as possible and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Sunday that the Iran war would, for now, remain an air campaign, adding that President Donald Trump has not removed sending in ground troops from his table of options.

"It has been, and it will continue to be,” Leavitt said Sunday morning on Fox about the current U.S. military operations, which have largely been an air campaign.

“And President Trump wisely does not remove options off the table," Leavitt said. "I know a lot of politicians like to do that quickly, but the president, as commander-in-chief, wants to continue to assess the success of this military operation. It's not part of the current plan right now, but the president, again, wisely keeps his options on the table."

Leavitt was also asked about how the conflict in the Middle East is impacting the economy, and how that might influence the hotly-contested midterm elections in November.

Leavitt said Trump can "walk and chew gum at the same time" by handling conflicts abroad and tackling domestic issues related to the economy.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray