President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes, with his son Mojtaba Khamenei later chosen to succeed him. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and expanding its ground operations in the south of the country.
Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Sailor injured in non-combat incident, US Navy says
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement on Thursday that a sailor was injured aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier while it was conducting flight operations in the Arabian Sea.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, the Command said in a post to X.
"The injury is not combat-related nor life threatening. The sailor has been transported ashore for additional medical care and remains in stable condition. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation," it said.
This U.S. Air Force handout photo released by U.S. Central Command public affairs on March 24, 2026, shows operations related to Operation Epic Fury aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on March 21, 2026.
-/US Airforce/AFP via Getty Images
Mar 26, 2026, 5:43 AM EDT
Bahrain intercepts 19 drones, 1 missile from Iran
The Bahrain Defence Force said on Thursday that air defenses intercepted 19 drones and one ballistic missile fired from Iran over the previous 24 hours.
The latest interceptions bring the total Bahraini interception tally to 350 drones and 154 ballistic missiles since Feb. 28, the force said.
General view of a government-provided shelter at Ghazi Al Gosaibi Secondary Girls School in Hamad Town, Bahrain, on March 4, 2026.
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
Mar 26, 2026, 5:24 AM EDT
Iran launches multiple waves of ballistic missiles at Israel
Iran launched five waves of ballistic missiles toward Israel within two hours on Thursday morning.
First responders said they were attending the scene of one strike in the Kfar Qassem area northeast of Tel Aviv, where six people were injured.
An Iranian military spokesperson said that 70 targets were hit inside Israel.
A man surveys damage after a projectile strike in the Arab-Israeli city of Kfar Qassem on March 26, 2026.
Ilia Yefimovich/AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
Mar 26, 2026, 5:05 AM EDT
Trump says Iran negotiating, claims leaders are 'afraid' to be killed
President Donald Trump said Wednesday night that the U.S. and Iran are negotiating, alleging that leaders in Tehran are eager to make a deal but afraid to confirm that talks are ongoing despite Iranian officials denying that negotiations have been underway.
"And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people. They're also afraid they'll be killed by us," Trump said during the annual National Republican Congressional Committee dinner hosted at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump gestures during the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) annual fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C., on March 25, 2026.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters
Trump also seemed to imply difficulty in finding someone willing to take on Iranian leadership.
"There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran. 'I don't want it.' We listen to some of the things they say. We hear very clearly, they say, 'I don't want it.' 'We'd like to make you the next Supreme Leader,' 'No, thank you. I don't want it,'" Trump said.
Trump also again alluded to Iran firing a huge barrage of missiles at a key U.S. asset in the region following comments he made in the Oval Office on Tuesday that Iran "shot 100 missiles at one of our aircraft carriers, one of the biggest ships in the world, actually."
"You know, we had an attack. 100 missiles were shot by Iran at a very important thing that we had. I won't tell you what it was," Trump told the crowd.
"And of the 100 missiles coming at us, 100 missiles were immediately shot down, shot out of the air, fall into the sea. Think of it. Not one missile got through. That was the Patriot system," he added.
