Iran live updates: 7th killed service member is identified

Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was killed in Saudi Arabia.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, Leah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Bill Hutchinson ABCNews logo
Last updated: Monday, March 9, 2026 3:00PM GMT
ABC News Live

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

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Mar 01, 2026, 11:14 AM GMT

IDF says it killed Khamenei in 'precise, large-scale operation'

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement on Sunday regarding the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saying he was killed in a "precise, large-scale operation carried out by the Israeli Air Force."

Khamenei was killed in a series of airstrikes in central Tehran on Saturday morning, where he was meeting with dozens of senior Iranian officials.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Victoria Beaule

Mar 01, 2026, 11:13 AM GMT

US Embassy in Oman issues shelter-in-place order

The U.S. Embassy in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday issued a shelter-in-place order for all Americans in the country due to "ongoing activity outside of Muscat."

The northern coast of Oman, on which Muscat is located, faces the southeastern coast of Iran across the Gulf of Oman. The country has traditionally played a mediating role between Iran and the U.S.

As of Sunday morning, Oman was the only Gulf nation not to have been attacked by Iran.

Mar 01, 2026, 11:09 AM GMT

Khamenei killed in 'opening blow,' Israeli defense minister says

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during the "opening blow" of the U.S.-Israel operation on Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X on Sunday.

Katz congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his "leadership and determination," and the Israel Defense Forces for its "brilliant execution."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Ellie Kaufman

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Mar 01, 2026, 8:10 AM GMT

State media confirms deaths of 2 senior Iranian officials

Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Defense Council, and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in strikes on Saturday.

ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Ellie Kaufman

FILE - Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, is pictured in Tehran, Iran, on June 12, 2021.
FILE - Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, is pictured in Tehran, Iran, on June 12, 2021.