Iran announces new wave of missile and drone strikes
Iran has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Sunday targeting US military bases across the region and Israel, state media said, in retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel’s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, according to an AFP report that cited Iranian state TV.
On Sunday morning, waves of sirens were heard across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank, with Israel’s military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.
Blasts were also heard across several Gulf cities. Thick black clouds of smoke and several loud blast were reported over Qatari capital Doha, while explosions were heard across Dubai and Bahrain’s Manama.
Loud explosions and thick, black smoke were seen near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
This follows confirmation by Iranian state media earlier that Khamenei had been killed.
On Saturday, Iran responded to the US-Israel strikes with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries, drawing in countries that have previously been unaffected by the crisis.
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Updated at 05.43 GMT
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Iraq has announced three days of mourning following the death of Khamenei.
Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that “with deep sorrow, we extend our condolences to the noble people of Iran and the entire Muslim world” after Khamenei was killed in “a blatant act of aggression”.
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The United Nations’ nuclear agency said it will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday, at the request of Russia.
In a statement late on Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Russia had requested it convene a “special session of the IAEA Board of Governors on matters related to military strikes of the United States and Israel against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
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Iranian state media has announced the death of another high-level military official, saying armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed during US and Israeli strikes on Saturday.
State TV said Mousavi was killed with defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour, and head of the defence council Ali Shamkhani “during a defence council meeting”.
Other names will be announced later, the report said.
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Hundreds of Iraqis attempted to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy and government buildings located, according to reports.
An AFP journalist said protesters, some holding flags of pro-Iran armed groups, threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. Gunshots were heard and smoke was seen rising in the area, Associated Press footage showed.
Security forces fire tear gas to disperse a protest against US and Israeli attacks on Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the US Embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq. Photograph: Hadi Mizban/APSupporters of Iraqi Shi’ite armed groups gather after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad. Photograph: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
Protests have also been held in other provinces across southern Iraq, as several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups said they would defend Tehran.
The powerful group Kataeb Hezbollah said it will attack US bases after two of its fighters were killed in air strikes in southern Iraq.
Early on Sunday, loud explosions were heard near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
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Updated at 06.51 GMT
Iran’s top security adviser warns ‘secessionist groups’ against action
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top national security adviser, has warned “secessionist groups” they will face a harsh response if they attempt action, in an interview broadcast on state TV.
Larijani called for unity, adding: “Groups seeking to divide Iran should know that we will not tolerate it.”
Trump has called on the Iranian people to “take over” the government, saying on Saturday “now is the time to seize control of your destiny”. He made the comments in an eight-minute video announcing the US-Israel strikes.
Later, in a statement posted on Truth Social announcing Khamenei’s death, Trump said: “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
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Updated at 06.32 GMT
The speaker of Iran’s parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the country had prepared for “all scenarios”, and warned US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have “crossed our red lines” and “will suffer the consequences”. He made the remarks in a video played on state TV.
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Updated at 05.49 GMT
Trump has warned Iran against launching retaliatory attacks, in a comment posted on Truth Social. “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,” Trump said, adding that, if Iran does so, it will be hit with a force that has “never been seen before”.
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Updated at 06.32 GMT
Iran announces new wave of missile and drone strikes
Iran has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Sunday targeting US military bases across the region and Israel, state media said, in retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel’s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, according to an AFP report that cited Iranian state TV.
On Sunday morning, waves of sirens were heard across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank, with Israel’s military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.
Blasts were also heard across several Gulf cities. Thick black clouds of smoke and several loud blast were reported over Qatari capital Doha, while explosions were heard across Dubai and Bahrain’s Manama.
Loud explosions and thick, black smoke were seen near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
This follows confirmation by Iranian state media earlier that Khamenei had been killed.
On Saturday, Iran responded to the US-Israel strikes with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries, drawing in countries that have previously been unaffected by the crisis.
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Updated at 05.43 GMT
Thousands of people have gathered in central Tehran to mourn the death of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989. Mourners, who were dressed in black and carried photos of the former leader, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel”.
State media has reported that 40 days of public mourning and seven days of public holidays will be observed.
Thousands of mourners gather at Enqelab square in Tehran following death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPAPeople gather to mourn after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and US strikes on Saturday, in Tehran. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/ReutersCrowds in Enqelab Square carry Iranian flags to mourn Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death was confirmed by state media. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPAShare
Updated at 06.37 GMT
Several loud bangs heard over Dubai – reports
Several loud bangs were heard in the Dubai area for a second day on Sunday, witnesses told Reuters news agency. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on the neighbouring Gulf states in response to US and Israeli strikes, hitting a range of other targets.
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Major shipping companies have suspended navigation through the Gulf, citing the evolving security situation in the Middle East.
French shipping company CMA CGM said in a statement it had told all of its vessels inside Persian Gulf, and bound to Persian Gulf, to proceed to shelter with “immediate effect”. It has also suspended passage through the Suez Canal until further notice.
Hapag-Lloyd, another major shipping company, said it was suspending all transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the open seas, “until further notice.”
Danish company Maersk has also warned clients of possible delivery delays due to ships being re-routed.
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Sirens across central Israel and occupied West Bank
Air raid sirens were activated across central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank on Sunday, as Israel’s military said it was responding to Iranian missile fire.
“Sirens were sounded in several areas across the country, following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” a military statement said, adding that the air force was “operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary”.
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Updated at 04.33 GMT
