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 in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.
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.
The U.S. military is achieving its objectives faster than anticipated, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.
"More than 5,000 enemy targets have been struck so far. Iran's ballistic missile attacks are down more than 90%, and their drone attacks are down by approximately 85% since the start of Operation Epic Fury," Leavitt said.
When asked for a timeline for the end of the military operation, Leavitt said this would be left up to President Donald Trump and would only happen when there is an "unconditional surrender" of the Iranian regime.
Leavitt said the "surrender" announcement won't necessarily come from the regime, but when the U.S. government determines Iran no longer poses a "credible threat" to the U.S.
Mar 10, 2026, 2:33 PM EDT
140 troops wounded so far in Iran war
Since the start of the war with Iran, 140 U.S. service members have been wounded, but a majority of the injuries have been minor, according to the Pentagon.
"Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Tuesday. "The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care."
--ABC News' Steve Beynon
Mar 10, 2026, 1:17 PM EDT
Russia told Trump it isn't sharing US military asset intelligence with Iran, Witkoff says
Russian officials denied in a phone call with President Donald Trump on Monday that they are sharing intelligence on U.S. military assets with Iran, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said.
"We can take them at their word," Witkoff said Tuesday in an interview with CNBC. "That's a better question for the intel people, but let's hope that they're not sharing."
Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday for about an hour. Witkoff also indicated during the interview that Trump is still open to dialogue with Iran.
"I think the president is always willing to talk, but the question is whether it would be productive or not," Witkoff said. "Do they actually want to make have a diplomatic solution here? And so far the evidence suggests no."
Mar 10, 2026, 12:05 PM EDT
Historic Iranian landmarks damaged amid ongoing war
A number of historical sites and monuments across Iran are damaged as the war continues, the Iran's Cultural Heritage Ministry said Tuesday.
ABC News has verified photos showing damage to historical sites in Isfahan and Tehran.
Damage is seen at the Chehel Sotoun Palace a UNESCO-listed heritage site with significant cultural and historical importance in Isfahan Province, Iran.
@Iran_Gov/X
Several buildings are damaged in Isfahan, a city in central Iran known as the “cultural capital” of the country, home to many historical sites and monuments. Among them are Chehel Sotoun and Ali Qapu, which are UNESCO-listed palaces with significant cultural and historical importance as well as being popular tourist destinations, according to photos verified by ABC News.
Damage is seen at the Chehel Sotoun Palace a UNESCO-listed heritage site with significant cultural and historical importance in Isfahan Province, Iran.
@Iran_Gov/X
Tehran’s Golestan Palace, also a UNESCO-listed landmark, has been damaged. Pictures show considerable damage to the palace’s famous Mirror Hall and the Berelian Hall, according to photos verified by ABC News.
Damage is seen at the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO-listed landmark in Tehran.
@Iran_Gov/X
Damage is seen at the Golestan Palace, a UNESCO-listed landmark in Tehran.
@Iran_Gov/X
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei urged an international response to the attacks, writing that “the aggressors’ brutal crimes threaten the shared heritage of humankind,” in a post on X on Wednesday.
Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage listed other sites including Isfahan’s Imam Mosque and the historic valleys of Khorramabad as locations exposed to potential damage.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian, Maryam Moqaddam, Camilla Alcini, Helena Skinner and Zoe Magee
