U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for a second day on Sunday after the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw the future of the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raised the risk of regional instability.
There were explosions in Tehran on Sunday as Israel said it was taking its attacks to the “heart” of Iran’s capital.
Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and at U.S. military installations around the Gulf, and also at the Saudi capital and the global business hub of Dubai. Earlier Sunday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever, targeting Israel and U.S. bases.
Iran also selected a 66-year-old cleric to join the three-member leadership council that will govern the country until a new supreme leader is selected.
3 US service members killed and 5 wounded in Iran operation
The U.S. military says three service members have been killed and five seriously wounded in the Iran operation.
Central Command made the announcement on social media Sunday without providing additional information.
A doctor in Iran describes how he celebrated Khamenei’s death
A doctor in northern Iran said he and colleagues spent the early hours of Sunday celebrating indoors news of the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, because armed security forces were heavily deployed in his city.
Security forces were stopping and interrogating people celebrating in their cars, he said, but there was no gunfire.
“It was one of the best nights, if not the best night of our lives,” the doctor said in a voice message from the city of Rasht in northern Iran. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “It was actually my first time ever smoking a cigarette. … We didn’t sleep at all. And we don’t even feel tired.”
US military says Iranian missiles did not strike aircraft carrier
The U.S. military is pushing back against claims by Iran’s leadership that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck in an attack, stating that the “missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that the American warship continues to launch aircraft. The Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers that the U.S. military has deployed to the region.
Central Command posted its statement shortly after releasing another statement that three U.S. service members have been killed in the U.S. military operation against Iran.
Iranians in Berlin and Vienna celebrate Khamenei’s death
Iranians in Berlin and Vienna took to the streets to celebrate the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Hundreds gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. They held pre-1979 Iranian flags as well as Israeli and American flags, as they danced and sang near the Brandenburg Gate.
Demonstrators included supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
More than 1,000 people also celebrated in Vienna, according to the city police quoted by the Austrian press agency.
Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon pay tribute to Khamenei
Hundreds of supporters of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group gathered south of Beirut to mourn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
They chanted anthems and slogans paying tribute to Khamenei and Iran. They waved the flags of Iran and Hezbollah, some beating their chests.
Hezbollah is Iran’s most powerful proxy in the region, but it suffered heavy losses in a monthslong war with Israel in 2024. It has not taken military action in solidarity with Tehran, as Lebanon’s political leadership tries to keep the nation out of the conflict for fears of a spillover.
Italy says Iran’s hard-line stance provoked attacks
Italy blamed Iran for provoking the U.S. and Israeli attack, saying its hardening position about its nuclear and long-range missile aspirations had “posed a threat to everyone.”
“The obvious issue was the atomic bomb and the increase in the production of long-range missiles that posed a threat to everyone,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Sunday.
Tajani also strongly condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes as “senseless” and said they had only served to further isolate Tehran. He said countries hit by Iran had the right to respond.
“I hope the situation doesn’t worsen but I sensed a strong irritation of all the ministers and leaders of countries hit by Iran about the Tehran regime,” Tajani said.
US senator warns US doesn’t know what follows Khamenei’s death
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said that the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is creating uncertainty about the trajectory of the conflict.
“We have had very little visibility into what happens next after the supreme leader is eliminated,” Warner told CNN on Sunday. “I think we still don’t know what is happening next.”
Warner said he hoped the Iranian people would rise up, but he didn’t believe that would be the outcome. He said the fear is that the U.S. is seeing the “opening salvos” of “what could be a sustained war in the region.”
Maersk rerouting ships from Suez to Cape of Good Hope
Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, said it has paused vessels’ traffic through the Ban el-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal.
The company said in a statement Sunday it has decided to reroute the ships from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had targeted vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea in 2024 and 2025.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that diplomacy remains “the most rational path forward” during a telephone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Erdogan also extended his well‑wishes to Saudi Arabia following recent attacks on the country and warned that, without decisive action, the conflict could escalate with “serious consequences for both regional and global security.”
