The military operation against Iran entered its ninth day on Sunday. Reports have indicated that cracks are emerging in the remnants of the Iranian leadership as it has voted to replace slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid continued waves of strikes from the United States and Israel.
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**Sunday’s live updates below. All updates in Eastern time**
8:50 PM: Houthis hail new Iranian Supreme Leader
The Yemen-based Shi-Islamist Iran-backed militant group celebrated the selection of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran’s Supreme Leader on Sunday.
In a statement reported by the AFP, the Houthis said: “We congratulate the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leadership and people, on the selection of Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution at this important and pivotal juncture.”
They called his selection “a new victory for the Islamic Revolution and a resounding blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the enemies of the nation.”
7:10 PM: Oil price surge a short-term spike, says Trump
For the first time since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, international oil prices rose above $100 per barrel in light of the conflict in Iran and the terror risk for ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump cast the development as a temporary one, writing on his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening: “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace. ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!”
6:15 PM: IRGC declares loyalty to new Supreme Leader
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the primary branch of the Iranian armed forces, has declared loyalty to Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected to succeed his slain father, Ali Khamenei, as the country’s next Supreme Leader on Sunday.
In a statement to the Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said that it “is ready to fully obey and sacrifice the divine orders of the guardian of the jurisprudence of the time, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, and to preserve the values of the Islamic Revolution and safeguard the precious legacy of the Imams of the Revolution, Imam Khomeini, may God be pleased with him, and Imam Khamenei, may God have mercy on him.”
5:30 PM: Iran chooses Khamenei son as next Supreme Leader
According to Iranian state media Tasnim News Agency, the so-called Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei to become the next Supreme Leader and succeed his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba will thus become the third leader in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Earlier on Sunday, President Donald Trump warned that the next leader of the country would need the approval of the United States.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it,” Trump said.
4:05 PM: Israel destroys Iranian Air Force HQ
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it had struck the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Air Force headquarters.
The IDF said that it was used as the “main command-and-control center used to direct the regime’s air force activity”.
3:40 PM: Seventh U.S. service member dies during Operation Epic Fury
U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that a service member died on Saturday evening as a result of injuries sustained during “the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East” in Saudi Arabia on March 1st.
This is the seventh service member to have died as a result of the conflict with Iran. CENTCOM said that it will release the name of the service member 24 hours after kin have been notified.
3:00 PM: Macron speaks to Iranian President
French President Emmanuel Macron said that he spoke with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian. on Sunday and impressed upon him the need to stop the indiscriminate strikes throughout the Gulf region and the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for shipping traffic.
“Finally, I reiterated our grave concern regarding the development of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs and the entirety of its destabilizing activities in the region, which lie at the root of the current crisis,” Macron said.
“A diplomatic solution is more necessary than ever to address these crucial challenges, put an end to the escalation, and preserve peace. We agreed to remain in contact.”
2:25 PM: Israel takes out another top Iranian military leader
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it has “eliminated” Abu al-Qassem Baba’iyan, the recently appointed Head of the Military Office of the Supreme Leader. This comes just over a week after his predecessor, Mohammad Shirazi, was also killed in a military strike at the outset of the American-Israeli operation in Iran.
“Baba’iyan was responsible for coordinating between the Iranian terror regime’s various force employment organizations to execute operations and emergency operations,” the IDF claimed.
1:05 PM: Two dead, dozen injured in attack on Saudi
In an apparent Iranian attack in the central Al-Kharj region of Saudi Arabia, two people have been killed and 12 people were injured after a “military projectile” struck a residential area, Saudi Civil Defense said.
Those killed included an Indian national and a Bangladeshi national, while the injuries were to Bangladeshi nationals.
12:30 PM: Starmer speaks to Trump after fallout
Downing Street said that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke with President Donald Trump for the first time since their public fallout over Starmer’s initial decision to refuse access to UK bases for U.S. Military operations in Iran last week.
A spokesman for Number 10 said per the BBC: “The leaders began by discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the military co-operation between the UK and US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region.
“The Prime Minister also shared his heartfelt condolences with President Trump and the American people following the deaths of six US soldiers.”
12:15 PM: Trump says next leader won’t last long without his OK
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday morning following claims that Tehran has selected a new Supreme Leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Trump said: “He’s going to have to get approval from us.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years, when you don’t have a president like me that’s not going to do it.”
“I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and have to do the same thing again or worse let them have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
11:25 AM: Ukrainian experts to be dispatched next week to Middle East
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that military experts with experience in handling Iranian Shahed attack drones — which have been used by Vladimir Putin’s Russia against Ukraine — will be deployed to the Middle East region next week.
Zelensky said that they will “assess the situation and provide assistance – since they are coming with the capabilities to assist right away – we will proceed accordingly.”
10:25 AM: Nearly 200 Hezbollah terrorists killed over past week in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it has struck more than 600 terror targets in Lebanon after Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists broke the truce last week by firing rockets into northern Israel in the wake of the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IDF also said that it has killed over 190 terrorists over the past week, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander Abu Hamza Rami.
10:20 AM: U.S. warns Iranian public to stay at home
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a safety warning to the Iranian people on Sunday, saying that the Islamist regime is using “heavily populated civilian areas to conduct military operations,” including the launching of one-way attack drones and ballistic missiles, pointing specifically to cities such as Dezful, Esfahan, and Shiraz.
“This dangerous decision risks the lives of all civilians in Iran since locations used for military purposes lose protected status and could become legitimate military targets under international law,” CENTCOM said.
“U.S. forces strongly urge civilians in Iran to stay at home. The Iranian regime is knowingly endangering innocent lives. Additionally, Iranian forces are jeopardizing the safety of innocent people throughout the Middle East by deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilian airports, hotels, and residential neighborhoods,” the U.S. military command added.
8:40 AM: Arab League condemns Iranian ‘escalation’
Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused Iran of engaging in a “reckless and unjustified escalation” by targeting civilian infrastructure in neighbouring countries across the Gulf, which recently included Kuwait’s international airport and a desalination plant in Bahrain.
Gheit said that the attacks represent a “grave miscalculation” on the part of Tehran and that the attacks are “placing the entire region on an extremely dangerous trajectory.”
The Arab League leader described the Iranian attacks as a “desperate strategy directed against states that neither participated in the war nor sought it,” adding that such a strategy “will only deepen hatred and hostility across the region.”
7:55 AM: New Supreme Leader reportedly chosen
According to reports in Iranian state media, the 88-member Assembly of Experts has selected a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed alongside his senior leadership in an Israeli strike in the opening hours of the American-led military operation against the Islamist regime in Tehran.
Without namingthe supposed successor, the semi-official news agency state-backed Mehr News Agency quoted Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Alam al-Huda, a member of the selection committee, as saying: “All the rumors and news that tried to pretend that the Assembly of Experts has not yet made a decision are pure lies.”
Rumours have indicated that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the slain Supreme Leader, is a frontrunner to replace his father. However, other reports have also claimed that some within Tehran have expressed scepticism over the younger Khamenei’s hardline Islamist positions and his lack of experience.
6:55 AM: 400 targets hit over past day, says Israel
The Israel Air Force has “completed a wave of extensive strikes over the past day in western and central Iran,” the IDF said in a statement on Sunday. The Israel Defence Forces said that over 400 targets were hit over the past day, including attacks on ballistic missile launchers and weapons manufacturing sites.
6:45 AM: Don’t want the smoke
Tehran residents woke up to a darkened sky on Sunday as black smoke covered the city following a series of strikes by the U.S. and Israel against oil facilities in the Iranian capital. Clips of large-scale explosions were shared on social media on Saturday, with many commentators describing the scenes as “apocalyptic”.
The Israel Defense Forces said that the oil depots in the city were used to fuel the “military forces of the Iranian terror regime.”
TEHRAN, IRAN – MARCH 8: Thick smoke rises over Tehran after oil depots were targeted during ongoing airstrikes on Iran launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, in Tehran, Iran on March 8, 2026. The strikes hit oil storage facilities in the Iranian capital, sending large plumes of smoke into the sky as tensions in the region continue to escalate. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
6:35 AM: Cracks begin to emerge among Iran’s remaining leaders
According to a report from the Reuters news agency on Saturday, “angry divisions between hardliners and more pragmatic factions” have broken out in the wake of the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the continued bombardment from the United States and Israel.
Citing unnamed sources “close to Iran’s leadership” speaking anonymously, the report claimed that there are deep divides over perhaps the most important decision facing the faltering regime, naming a successor to Khamenei.
While his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been widely tipped as the lead candidate, Reuters reported that moderates among the clerics who will select the next Supreme Leader have been alienated by his hardline stances and that among some, he is seen as young and untested.
Further divisions emerged over the weekend amid President Masoud Pezeshkian’s public apology to neighbouring Gulf states for the past week of strikes and a promise to refrain from attacks against those who remain neutral in the conflict with the United States. According to the news agency, some in top military circles viewed the apology as a demonstration of weakness.
Meanwhile, the military leadership apparently paid little mind to the president’s comments, and strikes continued across the region. When Pezeshkian repeated his comments on social media, the apology was notably absent.
A former official is quoted as saying it will be impossible to replace Khamenei’s political abilities, suggesting there is no figure with the strategic ability to unite disparate factions during the current crisis.
For earlier Livewire updates from Saturday, please click here
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