Here's the latest
• On the ground: Israel has started a “wide-scale wave” of strikes against what it says is regime infrastructure in three areas of Iran. Turkey said NATO air defenses shot down another Iranian missile as it entered Turkish airspace, and Gulf nations also reported overnight attacks.
• Oil prices soar: G7 nations “are not there yet” on releasing oil reserves, according to France’s finance minister, with oil surging past $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s national oil company declared force majeure as the war continues to threaten energy sites.
• Iran’s new leader: Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei has been named the next supreme leader. US President Donald Trump previously said Mojtaba would be an “unacceptable” choice and Israel vowed to target any successor.
• School strike: New video appears to confirm a US airstrike targeted a naval base next to an Iranian school. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US was “still investigating” while Trump cast blame on Iran.
Trump will hold news conference tonight as war enters second week
President Donald Trump says he will convene a press conference Monday evening as the war in Iran enters a second week. It’s his first formal question-and-answer session since the conflict began.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said he would hold the event at the ballroom of his golf club in Florida.
“I will hold a News Conference from a Doral Ballroom at approximately 5:30 P.M.,” Trump wrote.
He said he had been taking “many important meetings and phone calls taking place today” while he is in Florida.
Trump was seen driving a golf cart Sunday while spending the weekend in South Florida.
Exclusive: Iran is ready for long war, senior Iranian official tells CNN
A top Iranian official has warned that the government is prepared for a long war with the US and signaled that it is willing to continue attacking Gulf countries in an effort to persuade them to convince President Donald Trump to step back from the conflict.
The warning came in an exclusive CNN interview in Tehran with Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to the office of the Supreme Leader, who ruled out diplomacy for now and said the war would only end through economic pain – signaling a hardening of the government’s stance on day 10 of the conflict.
“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore,” Kharazi told CNN on Monday.
“There’s no room unless the economic pressure would be built up to the extent that other countries would intervene to guarantee (the) termination of aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran,” Kharazi said, suggesting that Gulf Arab countries and beyond need to put pressure on the US to end the war.
“This war has been producing a lot of pressure – economic pressure – on others, in terms of inflation, in terms of lack of energy, and so if it will be continued, this pressure will be built up more, and therefore others have no choice (but) to intervene,” he said.
Editor’s note: CNN operates in Iran with the permission of the Iranian government, as required under local regulations, but maintains full editorial control over what it reports.
Israeli foreign minister on if Mojtaba Khamenei is a target: "You’ll have to wait and see"
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said “it is clear” that Iran’s newly named Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei continues the “very extremist and mad policies of his father,” the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Asked whether Mojtaba Khamenei is target for Israel, Sa’ar told CNN’s Bianna Golodryga: “Well, you’ll have to wait and see.”
Sa’ar described the newly named supreme leader as a “hardliner” who is also “anti-American, he’s anti-Western and you can see already the cracks inside his regime.”
“It is clear that the hardliners are still calling the shots there in Tehran. And frankly with these people you cannot do anything serious if you want to solve conflict,” Sa’ar said, while noting past failed negotiations with the US and Israel.
"This government could be more bloodthirsty": Iranians react to new supreme leader
Waving flags and parading in support of their new head of state, people across Iran pledged their allegiance to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday. But amid the public ceremonies being held in city squares, there is a quiet undercurrent of fear and unease among many Iranians.
The elevation of Mojtaba — the second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — suggests that certain factions in the Iranian government, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are determined to double down on his father’s legacy and policies of repression.
“I think people don’t realize that these people, this government could be more bloodthirsty, more coldblooded,” one man in Tehran told CNN. “Honestly, I think people underestimated this whole thing. Things have been bad here, [Ali] Khamenei was terrible, but we had gotten some freedoms.”
Multiple other Khamenei family members were killed in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes as well, according to Iranian state media, which reported the deaths of Mojtaba’s wife, mother, sister and brother-in-law.
Everyone in Iran who spoke to CNN did so remotely and asked for their name to not be published, for fear of retribution.
Even some of those more favorable to the regime expressed uncertainty about the relatively unknown new leader.
“Overall, it seems to be a positive development… I hope that once the war ends, good programs and policies can be proposed afterward,” one man in Tehran said. “One of the main uncertainties, however, is that almost no one is familiar with his precise political positions.”
Trump says Australian prime minister will ensure safety of Iranian soccer players
President Donald Trump said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will ensure the safety Iranian soccer players on the women’s national team after concern spread over their return to their home country.
Trump said Monday that he spoke to Albanese, who he said is “doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation.”
“Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way. Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump’s post came shortly after he said the US would grant asylum to Iranian women’s soccer players if Australia didn’t. Five members of the squad have applied for asylum and are safe with police, a source told CNN Sports.
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed. Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t,” he said earlier on Truth Social.
There are growing calls to block the players’ exit from Australia for fear of persecution in Iran. Before their first match last week, the players stood silent during the Iranian national anthem, a gesture they didn’t explain but one that was interpreted by some hardliners inside Iran as a sign of treason.
This post has been updated with additional developments.
Lebanese women forced to give birth in the street amid ongoing conflict, UN says
Pregnant women fleeing Israeli bombardments in Beirut are resorting to giving birth on the streets while gridlocked in traffic, a Lebanese official to the United Nations (UN) said.
“Women and girls who… are often the hidden victims in a conflict, those are the ones that require our support the most,” UN Population Fund (UNFPA) spokesperson Anandita Philipose told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
“We have had reports of women giving birth on the streets of Beirut because they’ve been stuck in traffic trying to get to somewhere safer,” she explained. “Women do not stop giving birth just because there is a conflict. Our job is to make sure that they’re able to do it safely.”
UNFPA are taking action to support vulnerable women and girls by deploying midwives, social workers and mobile support teams to reach women and girls displaced, she said.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens have been displaced following mass evacuations prompted by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
At least 394 people in Lebanon have been killed by Israeli attacks since March 2, including 83 children, according to the country’s health ministry.
G7 nations "not there yet" on releasing oil reserves, France says
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven major developed economies met Monday to discuss the possible joint release of strategic oil reserves in response to surging oil prices, but no decisions were made.
“We’re not there yet,” France’s finance minister Roland Lescure told reporters when asked whether the United States, another G7 nation, had agreed to release its oil stockpiles.
“What we’ve agreed is to use any necessary tools, if needed, to stabilize the market, including the potential release of necessary stockpiles. The work is going to continue in the next couple of days… We will obviously keep you posted as we continue working,” he added.
Lescure noted that there were not yet supply problems with oil or natural gas, either in the United States or Europe.
The G7 finance ministers held a virtual meeting, together with the heads of the International Monetary Fund, the International Energy Agency, the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and discussed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and developments in the energy markets and will meet as needed to exchange information and to coordinate within the G7 and with international partners. We stand ready to take necessary measures, including to support global supply of energy such as stockpile release,” the G7 said in a statement after the meeting.
CNN analyst says new supreme leader faces war on 3 fronts, including from his own people
As Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei will confront many challenges as he attempts to navigate war, avoid assassination and quash anti-regime defiance at home, according to a CNN global affairs analyst.
“Mojtaba Khamenei is inheriting a terrible situation from his father,” Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN’s Becky Anderson a short while ago.
“He’s fighting three wars: against America, Israel and his own population,” the fellow observed. “And he’s now trying to elude assassination.”
Sadjadpour said that Mojtaba is likely in hiding underground, “and he’s trying to fight the greatest superpower in the world and the greatest military power in the Middle East … I think he’s, you know, inherited a situation which is going to be very difficult for him to manage.”
But Sadjadpour described the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as the power behind Mojtaba, referencing former IRGC intelligence chief Hossein Taeb as an ideologically aligned ally.
Sadjadpour noted that Mojtaba is “dogmatic” like his father and predecessor, who the expert described as “willing to die a martyr rather than compromise.”
Israeli attacks on Iran's fuel facilities prompt concerns inside Trump administration
Israel’s weekend attacks on Iranian oil facilities prompted concern inside the Trump administration and among President Donald Trump’s allies over the scale of the destruction, according to people familiar with the matter.
While the US was aware that Israel planned to target some Iranian fuel depots, some inside the administration were surprised at the scope of the attacks, which created huge plumes of thick black smoke.
The images provided a stark reminder of the war’s toll on Iran’s oil industry, and the wider impact on energy prices. Axios first reported on the administration’s concern over Israel’s targets.
While Trump has appeared nonchalant about rising oil prices — he wrote Sunday they would fall quickly when the war is over — some of his advisers are acutely aware of the political peril of increased fuel costs.
And GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham — perhaps the most staunch supporter in Washington of US military action in Iran — gently suggested Israel be more careful in selecting targets.
“Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative,” the South Carolina Republican wrote on X. “However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime.”
“In that regard, please be cautious about what targets you select,” he went on, linking to an article about the targeted facilities. “Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.”
After weekend reports that Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were planning to visit Israel in the coming days, a White House official said Monday the pair would not be going. It wasn’t clear whether a trip had ever been firmly on the books.
Gulf nations report fresh aerial attacks as criticism of Iran mounts
Nations in the Middle East have reported fresh aerial attacks today as Iran stands accused of escalating the conflict due to its retaliatory strikes across the region.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said last week that Tehran would stop striking its neighbors unless any attacks on Iran originated from those countries, during an apology he made to Persian Gulf neighbors.
Saudi Arabia accused Iran today of not reflecting that statement “in practice,” while saying the “continued Iranian attacks represent further escalation.” Not all of the Gulf countries directly named Iran in their statements today.
The UAE’s ministry of defense said it had detected 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones today, as of 3.30 p.m. local time. Two people were injured in Abu Dhabi as a result of falling debris following a “successful interception” by air defence systems, the city’s media office said.
Qatar’s armed forces intercepted a fresh “missile attack” on Monday afternoon, the ministry of defense said. As of Monday afternoon, 17 ballistic missiles and six drones from Iran had been intercepted, it said.
Sirens sounded in Bahrain earlier today, according to the country’s interior ministry, which urged residents to head to the “nearest safe place.”
Saudi Arabia accused Iran earlier today of continuing its attacks on the country based on “baseless claims,” including what it said were false allegations that fighter jets and refueling aircraft in the kingdom were going to participate directly in the war.
Tehran warns Washington it has “many surprises in store”as oil prices surge
Iran warned the US that Tehran is “fully prepared” for battle, and has “many surprises in store,” as the war with the and Israel enters its ninth day and global energy markets remain on edge.
In a post on X today, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Washington of “plotting against our oil and nuclear sites in hopes of containing huge inflationary shock”.
“Iran is fully prepared. And we, too, have many surprises in store,” he wrote.
Separately, Iran’s top national security official, Ali Larijani, warned security in the Strait of Hormuz will not be easy to achieved.
“It is unlikely that any security will be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amidst the fires of war ignited by the United States and Israel in the region,” Larijani wrote on X, adding that the risk would be heightened if additional parties become involved.
Larijani was responding to French president Emmanuel Macron’s earlier remarks that France was preparing a defensive mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil shipments.
Oil prices have surged amid fears of a wider regional conflict and potential supply disruptions. Crude prices broke above $100 a barrel on Monday for the first time in nearly four years, and analysts have warned prices could climb further if the conflict drags on.
Oil prices are surging as the conflict in the Middle East continues. Catch up here
The war in the Middle East has caused the biggest oil disruption in history, according to historical data from Rapidan Energy Group.
Take a look at some of our reporting today about the global oil situation:
- Asian markets endured a day of steep losses as the war with Iran intensified, with oil prices surging past $100 per barrel for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- European stock markets and US futures also tumbled today.
- G7 finance ministers met today to discuss the potential joint release of strategic oil reserves.
- South Korea will impose its first fuel price cap in almost 30 years amid the global jitters.
- Bahrain’s national oil company has declared force majeure on its operations as the war continues to threaten regional energy sites.
- US gas prices have now increased nearly 50 cents, or about 17%, since the start of the war on February 28.
CNN’s Matt Egan, John Liu, Hanna Ziady, Sebastian Shukla, James Frater, Laura Sharman, Gawon Bae, Martin Goillandeau, Ross Adkin and Chris Isidore contributed reporting.
Rallies held across Iran in support of new supreme leader
Iranian state media has prominently reported rallies in the capital Tehran and elsewhere in support of the country’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Video of rallies apparently attended by thousands of people was published by the semi-official Mehr news agency over the caption: “The roar of the people in various cities of the country pledging allegiance” to Khamenei.
One woman told the semi-official Tasnim news agency: “I sacrifice my grandchildren and children, all of them, for the (Islamic) Revolution.”
“They martyred our supreme leader to weaken our religion, but they didn’t know that would revive our religion,” another woman said, referring to the assassination of Khamenei’s father last week.
State media also circulated video showing regime supporters celebrating Khamenei’s rise in the central square in Isfahan – while smoke rose nearby.
Isfahan has come under attack several times over the past week.
The Education Ministry announced the cancellation of virtual classes Monday “to allow maximum participation of teachers and students in the pledge of allegiance ceremony with the Supreme Leader.”
Senior clerics have also offered their support to Khamenei.
Ayatollah Arafi, who had been one of the interim council running Iran over the past week, said the Iranian people must be “as proactive and diligent as they were during the era of the late Imam Khomeini” in supporting the new Supreme Leader.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was the Islamic republic’s first supreme leader.
His grandson, Seyed Hassan Khomeini, pledged support to Khamenei, saying that “what matters most is the protection of dear Iran and the Islamic Republic against the savage aggression of the Zionist regime and criminal America.”
A moderate former president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, also offered congratulations to Khamenei, wishing him “success in leading the system, strengthening unity, cohesion and national power.”
Rubio condemns Iran’s history of hostage-taking and touts progress in military operation
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Iran as “the worst offenders in the world of hostage-taking” as he touted the progress of the US military operation against the country.
Speaking at a reception marking Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, Rubio today said that “when it comes to hostage-taking, there has been no worse offender in the world than the clerical regime.”
Rubio paid tribute to Robert Levinson, the former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran 19 years ago and is believed to have died in Iranian detention. Successive US administrations have sought to locate him and bring him home, without success.
Rubio did not mention the other Americans currently detained in Iran, including Reza Valizadeh and Kamran Hekmati, both of whom are believed to be in the notorious Evin Prison. Advocates have expressed concern about their well-being as the war rages on.
The top US diplomat hailed the US military offensive against Iran, calling it “an extraordinary operation.”
“Your military is getting the job done, and every single day, this regime in Iran has less missiles, has less launchers. Their factories work less, and their navy is being eviscerated, and the world is going to be a safer and a better place when this mission is accomplished,” he said.
He also offered thought, prayers and condolences to the seven US service members who have been killed in the war.
Lebanon’s president calls for ceasefire talks with Israel, vows Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanon is calling for direct negotiations with Israel and an immediate ceasefire to “halt to all Israeli land, air, and sea aggressions against Lebanon,” the country’s president said in a statement Monday.
Joseph Aoun, Lebanese president, also called for further logistical support for the country’s armed forces, in order to bolster their aim of disarming the militant group Hezbollah.
“And simultaneously, Lebanon and Israel [to] begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship, in order to execute the aforementioned plan,” Aoun said in the statement.
Those comments mark one of the most robust and sweeping indictments of Hezbollah by a Lebanese leader to date.
Remember: At least 394 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel began strikes on the country earlier this week, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Israel says it is launching attacks on its northern neighbor to eradicate Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
Vance reflects on weekend dignified transfer as 7th US death is identified
Vice President JD Vance told a crowd of firefighters today that he was honored to observe the dignified transfer of slain American service members who died in Kuwait.
“I’d never done that before, and a lot of you served our nation in uniform. I know a number of our firefighters have all across our country. And I just want to say that if you are the praying type, and I certainly am, I hope you’ll spare a prayer for the six souls that we lost, for the seventh soul who will be coming home tonight,” he said during his remarks in Washington.
The Pentagon said Sunday a US service member died after sustaining injuries during an attack last week in Saudi Arabia, bringing the number of American troops killed in the Iran war to seven. A day later, military identified the service member killed as 26-year-old Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington from Glendale, Kentucky.
“You all know better than almost any category of Americans what it means to put on a uniform and to sacrifice for our country,” Vance said. “And so I hope you’ll share a moment of prayer for our brothers in arms, for your brothers in arms, who keep this country safe in their own way, just as you keep the country safe in your particular way.”
US military identifies seventh service member killed in Iran war
The US military identified the seventh service member killed in the Iran war as 26-year-old Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington.
Pennington, from Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after he was injured a week prior at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. The military announced Pennington’s death on Sunday. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, a unit within Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
Col. Michael Dyer, Pennington’s brigade commander, said in a release Monday that Pennington “was a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer woh led with strength, professionalism, and sense of duty.”
“Our deepest sympathies are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers,” Dyer said. “We remain dedicated to providing comfort and support at this time and will forever honor his legacy and ultimate sacrifice for our nation.”
Pennington enlisted in the Army as a unit supply specialist in 2017, according to service details provided by the Army. His awards and decorations include three Army Commendation Medals, an Army Achievement Medal, and two Army Good Conduct Medals.
He is being posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Army said.
As of Sunday, there were nine other US service members seriously wounded, a US official said — a specific category of injury meaning they are at risk of dying.
Iran's president praises Mojtaba Khamenei's "wise leadership"
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader “reflects the will of the people in governance.”
“I pray to God for his success in safeguarding this sacred unity and in building an advanced and independent Iran,” the president added. His comments come as scores of officials, clerics and entities in Iran are pledging allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, as the nation holds rallies in support of the new supreme leader.
For context: Iran’s supreme leader is the country’s top official and has ultimate authority over the president. The supreme leader is considered the head of state and commander-in-chief. Khamenei was appointed by a body of 88 senior clerics, known as the Assembly of Experts.
To that end, power is also exercised behind the scenes by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which answers only to the supreme leader and has increasingly propped up the regime over decades.
Kuwaiti ambassador voices concerns about attacks launched from Iraq
Kuwait’s ambassador to Iraq called on its neighbor to “intervene” after saying his country had been subjected to attacks launched from Iraqi territory, according to Iraq’s Foreign Ministry.
The ambassador provided information about the claimed attacks to Iraq’s foreign affairs undersecretary, while calling on the Iraqi government to “intervene to put an end to them in a way that preserves the fraternal relations between the two neighboring brotherly countries,” the ministry said in a statement today.
In response, the undersecretary said the Iraqi government is “making major and exceptional efforts to spare Iraq the repercussions of the war.”
The Iraqi official added that efforts were also being made to “preserve the country’s security and stability in the face of the attacks Iraq is facing, like the rest of the countries in the region.”
For context: The reference to launches from Iraqi territory is likely to raise scrutiny of Iranian-backed militias that operate in the country, amid heightened concern over their potential role in retaliation linked to the war with Iran.
Violence has stifled travel in the Middle East. Here's what you need to know
The US-Israeli military assault on Iran and retaliatory strikes from Tehran spurred travel chaos in the region, with national embassies telling non-essential citizens to leave Gulf states and other Arab nations.
Just on Sunday, an Iranian official told CNN there’s no sign of an immediate end to the fighting, after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened the attacks could last as long as eight weeks.
As ever, civilians are bearing the cost.
Here are the latest developments:
- Evacuations of US citizens underway: More than 32,000 US nationals safely returned to the country from the Middle East since US-Israeli bombing on Iran started February 28, Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson said Sunday. That figure includes those who journeyed back to the US without government assistance. The State Department has facilitated nearly two dozen charter flights so far, with the first taking off from Abu Dhabi and landing at an airport near Washington, DC on Thursday.
- UK, European nationals en route: People from the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and Slovakia started to leave on charter flights last week. Four flights carrying Australian nationals also departed the region on Friday, with at least four more planned. The Canadian government was arranging repatriation flights, the country’s foreign minister said last week.
- Traffic jams in Lebanon, suspended flights: Thousands of international flights have been canceled each day since March 1, according to data from flight tracker FlightAware.com. Airspace closures in the Middle East clogged more than 20,000 travelers in key hubs in the UAE at one point. Meanwhile, people trying to flee the Lebanese capital Beirut have been trapped by colossal traffic jams, as the Israeli military offensive persisted overnight.
- Embassies issue renewed guidance: The US State Department told citizens to leave more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, including non-essential government staff in the Turkish capital Ankara, in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and in Qatar. The US embassy in Israel instructed non-essential staff to leave on February 27 – a day before the joint attacks. Authorities in the UK, the EU, Australia and Pakistan also advised against travel to the region.
