A major conflict has erupted as the United States and Israel launched coordinated air and sea strikes against the Iranian regime in the early hours of Saturday. The military campaign has rapidly escalated into the evening, with new waves of strikes targeting Tehran and Bushehr, and satellite imagery revealing the complete destruction of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s compound.
The military campaign, described by Israeli officials as “pre-emptive” and by US President Donald Trump as “major combat operations,” comes after a 12-day air war in June and repeated warnings regarding Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
As explosions rock Tehran and other major cities, US President Donald Trump has issued a direct appeal to the Iranian people to “take over your government,” signaling a potential shift toward seeking an end to the ruling theocracy The conflict has expanded regionally, with the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launching missile attacks against Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases, drawing condemnation from neighbors like the UAE.
Key developments
- Strikes on regime targets: Explosions have been reported in central Tehran, including near the compound of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, Tabriz, Kermanshah, and Lorestan. Regime media outlets acknowledge that over 20 provinces have been targeted, with new explosions reported in Chabahar and Hormozgan.
- US President issues call to action: In a video address, US President Donald Trump stated the goal is to “eliminate imminent threats” and urged Iranians to reclaim their country.
- Regime retaliation: The IRGC claims to have targeted US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, alongside a “first wave” of drone and missile attacks against Israel. Over 125 Iranian missiles have been fired at Israel. Bahrain reports residential buildings were struck in Manama, and Kuwaiti hospitals are treating the wounded.
- IRGC casualties: Reports indicate significant casualties among IRGC personnel in operational posts. Sources close to the establishment confirm that several senior IRGC commanders and political officials have been killed.
- Leadership targeted: Israeli officials state that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were targeted. Smoke has been verified rising from Khamenei’s office compound in Tehran.
- Khamenei’s compound destroyed: State-affiliated media reports that satellite imagery shows the complete destruction of the Supreme Leader’s compound. The regime’s foreign ministry spokesperson stated he is “not in a position to confirm” the fate of senior leadership.
- Conflict expands to Gulf: The IRGC claims to have struck US bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Explosions have been heard in Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh.
- Civilian impact: State media claims 40 killed in a school in Minab. One death reported in Abu Dhabi. Major airlines have cancelled flights to the region.
- State of emergency: Israel has closed schools and banned public gatherings. The Iranian regime has shut down schools and universities.
- Mounting casualties: The Iranian regime’s Red Crescent organization reports 201 people killed and 747 injured across 24 provinces.
- Regime threatens citizens: The regime’s Supreme National Security Council issued a warning that any “cooperation with the enemy” will be met with the severest punishment.
19:30 CET – Satellite images show Khamenei’s compound destroyed; Fresh strikes hit Tehran and Bushehr
As night falls, a new wave of military operations is underway, and the devastating scale of the earlier decapitation strikes against the Iranian regime’s leadership is coming to light.
Leadership decimated and compound destroyed
According to the state-affiliated outlet Saham News, satellite imagery reveals the “complete destruction” of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s compound. An Israeli military official confirmed that the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes were planned for months and successfully targeted three sites where “gatherings of the Iranian terror regime were taking place.” The official stated that “several senior figures essential to the management of the campaign and the regime’s governance were eliminated.”
When pressed by the BBC about the fate of the regime’s senior leadership, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei admitted he was “not in a position to confirm” whether they were unharmed.
Fresh airstrikes on capital and nuclear city
A new series of blasts has been reported this evening. The Israeli Air Force announced on X that it launched another airstrike targeting missile launch sites and defense systems in central Iran. Witnesses and the state-run IRNA reported fresh explosions in western Tehran. Furthermore, the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that missiles targeted two neighborhoods in the southern city of Bushehr, which hosts a major nuclear power plant.
Mounting casualties and domestic threats
The toll of the ongoing bombardment is rising significantly. Iranian media, citing the state-run Red Crescent, reports that 201 people have been killed and 747 injured across 24 provinces. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei claimed that more than 150 girls were killed and maimed in earlier strikes on a school in Hormozgan province.
Amid the chaos, the regime is showing profound fear of domestic uprisings. The Supreme National Security Council issued “Notice No. 2,” explicitly threatening the Iranian public that any “cooperation with the enemy will be dealt with in the severest manner.”
Regional escalation
The regime’s retaliatory strikes continue to impact neighboring nations. While Baghaei claimed the regime has “no problem with our Arab neighbours,” Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior reported that Iranian strikes hit several residential buildings in the capital, Manama. In Kuwait, the state news agency reported that hospitals have received 12 wounded individuals.
Meanwhile, the local Telegram channel Chand Sanieh, citing Israeli media, reported that 125 missiles have been fired from Iran toward Israel so far.
In a letter to the United Nations, the Iranian regime vowed to continue its strikes “until the aggression ceases fully and unequivocally,” declaring all U.S. and Israeli bases in the region as “legitimate military targets.” Baghaei also called on the UN Security Council to intervene.
16:00 CET – Reports indicate regime’s defense minister and senior IRGC commander killed; Oil shipments suspended as conflict spreads
As the conflict stretches into the afternoon, reports of high-level regime casualties are mounting, and the economic ripple effects are beginning to hit global energy choke points.
High-level regime casualties and response
Sources familiar with Israel’s military operations told Reuters that the regime’s Defense Minister, Amir Nasirzadeh, and IRGC Ground Forces Commander Mohammed Pakpour are believed to have been killed in the strikes.
In a rare appearance on Western media amidst near-total internet blackouts in Iran, regime Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke to NBC News. Araghchi admitted that the regime “may have lost one or two commanders” but stated that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is “alive” as far as he is aware. Contradicting earlier defiant statements from the IRGC, Araghchi claimed the regime is keen on de-escalation and open to negotiations if the US and Israel cease their attacks, while defending the strikes on US bases as an act of “self-defense.”
Strikes hit over 20 provinces
The scale of the military campaign inside Iran continues to grow. The state-run Asr-e Iran reported that more than 20 provinces have been attacked. Recent explosions have been confirmed in the southeastern port city of Chabahar by state media, and in Hajiabad in Hormozgan province, according to the state-run Telegram channel Chand Sanieh.
Regional fallout and intercepted missiles
The IRGC’s retaliatory missile campaign has triggered air defense systems across the Middle East:
- UAE: Witnesses in Dubai felt their windows shake as at least three massive blasts echoed across the area. The UAE Defense Ministry confirmed it successfully intercepted a new wave of missiles.
- Kuwait: The BBC verified images of a burned-out truck and a fire engine on a motorway. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense confirmed that ballistic missiles targeted the Ali Al-Salem airbase but were successfully intercepted, causing debris to fall in the vicinity.
- Jordan: The Jordanian government announced its armed forces shot down two ballistic missiles targeting its territory, with debris falling in various locations.
- Syria: An errant Iranian missile struck a building in the southern city of Sweida, killing four people and wounding several others, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Reuters witnesses also reported missile debris falling in Quneitra and the Yarmouk Basin.
- Iraq: US air defenses shot down a drone over a US military base near the Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan, as reported by Reuters and the Iraqi News Agency.
Reflecting on the spreading chaos, Oman’s Foreign Minister expressed disappointment, stating that neither global peace nor US interests benefit from these attacks.
Global energy markets disrupted
The escalation has prompted major oil companies and top trading houses to suspend crude oil and fuel shipments via the Strait of Hormuz, a critical bottleneck through which roughly a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes. Reuters reports that trading executives have ordered ships to “stay put for several days.” Furthermore, the EU maritime mission Eunavfor Aspides warned the shipping industry to remain vigilant, citing threats from Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis to launch new attacks against Israeli and US ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
14:00 CET – Reports: Khamenei and Pezeshkian targeted; IRGC commanders killed; Conflict spreads to Gulf states
As the air war intensifies, reports are emerging that the US and Israeli strikes have directly targeted the highest echelons of the Iranian regime’s leadership. Simultaneously, Tehran has widened the conflict by launching missiles at neighboring Arab nations hosting US forces.
Decapitation strikes and IRGC losses
An Israeli official has stated that both the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and its President, Masoud Pezeshkian, were targeted in the strikes. While the outcome remains unclear, Reuters cites a source claiming Khamenei had been moved to a secure location, though verified video footage shows smoke rising from the area of his office, “Leadership House,” in central Tehran.
BBC verified images also suggest a residence in the Narmak neighborhood, home to former regime president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was hit. Furthermore, Al Arabiya reports that the Ministry of Intelligence in Tehran was targeted. An Iranian source close to the regime confirmed to Reuters and Al Arabiya that “several senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and political officials were killed” in the ongoing bombardment.
War expands to the Gulf
The IRGC has declared all US bases and interests in the region as “legitimate targets.” Consequently, the conflict has spilled over into the broader Persian Gulf.
- UAE: The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned Iranian attacks on its territory as a threat to stability. One person was reported killed in Abu Dhabi, where loud booms were heard near the main airport.
- Qatar & Bahrain: The US 5th Fleet service center in Bahrain was struck, and successive waves of blasts were heard in Doha, Qatar.
- Saudi Arabia: The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency, citing witnesses, reported massive explosions in Riyadh.
- Kuwait & Jordan: Explosions and sirens have been reported, with authorities stating they intercepted Iranian missiles.
Military sites targeted
The Israeli military announced that dozens of jets struck ballistic missile bases in western Iran. Specific reports indicate strikes on IRGC bases in Kamyaran (Kurdistan province), Ahvaz, Urmia, Qorveh, and naval facilities in Konarak and Chabahar.
Civilian toll and disruptions
Regime state media claims that the death toll from a strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab, southern Iran, has risen to 40.
In Israel, a state of emergency has been declared; schools are shut, public gatherings banned, and hospitals have moved patients to underground facilities. Meanwhile, the UK government stated that “Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons,” with Prime Minister Keir Starmer convening a COBRA emergency meeting. Major international airlines, including British Airways, Lufthansa, and Emirates, have suspended or diverted flights across the Middle East.
12:00 CET – Conflict escalates as US and Israel target IRGC infrastructure; Regime strikes back
As of midday in Europe, the confrontation has intensified. Following the initial wave of strikes in the early morning, reports confirm that the joint US-Israeli operation is targeting the regime’s nuclear infrastructure, missile industry, and naval capabilities.
Strikes on Tehran and military centers
Witnesses in Tehran reported heavy explosions in the city center. State-affiliated media admitted that missiles struck the University Street and Jomhuri area. Notably, the Associated Press reports that the initial strikes appeared to target the compound of the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Smoke has been seen rising from various parts of the capital.
Sources close to the IRGC, including the Telegram channel Sabereen News, have acknowledged that the attacks resulted in the death and injury of a “significant number” of IRGC personnel, many of whom held key operational and specialized positions.
US mobilization and objectives
The United States has deployed a massive naval armada to the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carriers. The US President Donald Trump stated that the operation aims to ensure the regime “can never have a nuclear weapon” and to destroy its long-range missile capabilities.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2026
Regime’s response and regional impact
The IRGC claims to have launched ballistic missiles targeting US military presence in the Persian Gulf. The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency claims attacks on the Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar), Ali Al Salem Air Base (Kuwait), Al Dhafra Air Base (UAE), and the US 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
Simultaneously, the IRGC launched drones and missiles toward Israel. Sirens have sounded across Israel, Jordan, and Kuwait. The US Embassy in Qatar has warned American citizens to “duck and cover” due to imminent missile threats.
Domestically, the regime is tightening control. Internet access has been severely disrupted to limit the flow of information, and the Supreme National Security Council has announced the closure of all schools and universities.
⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show a disruption to internet access in parts of #Iran including Tehran with connectivity at 54% of ordinary levels. The incident comes as the US and Israel target the regime with military strikes and will limit visibility into incidents on the ground. pic.twitter.com/YvKpsa8d6x
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 28, 2026