Explosions and dark smoke plumed over western Tehran early Saturday as Iran launched missiles at Israel in retaliation, while U.S. officials warned that an even larger bombing campaign may be imminent in the weeklong conflict.
Associated Press video showed flashes and smoke over the city as Israel reported a broad wave of strikes and said it was working to intercept a new salvo of missiles launched from Iran. Iran’s U.N. ambassador, speaking for Tehran, vowed the country would “take all necessary measures” to defend itself.
The fighting has spread across the region. Sirens sounded in Bahrain after an attack targeted the island kingdom, and Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones headed for its Shaybah oil field and a ballistic missile aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces.
Washington approved a $151 million arms sale to Israel during the escalation, and President Donald Trump said on social media there would be no negotiation with Iran except on the basis of “unconditional surrender,” adding that after such a surrender and selection of new leadership, the U.S. and its allies would assist in rebuilding Iran. Those remarks intensified questions about the conflict’s endgame.
U.S. and Israeli forces have struck Iranian military facilities, leaders and nuclear program-related sites during the campaign. U.S. officials have shifted public descriptions of objectives at times, with some statements suggesting pressure on Iran’s government and support for new leadership emerging inside the country.
U.S. intelligence officials told reporters that Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran target American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two people familiar with the intelligence who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Officials said the reporting does not indicate Russia is directing Iran’s actions but marks the first sign Moscow has sought to become involved. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to offer condolences over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
New evidence also suggested that a Feb. 28 explosion at a school in Minab, about 680 miles southeast of Tehran, which killed scores of students, was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes that also struck an adjacent compound linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s state media reported more than 165 people died in that blast, most of them children. Iran has blamed Israel and the U.S.; neither country has publicly acknowledged responsibility, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is investigating.
Economic concerns mounted as Qatar’s energy minister warned the war could disrupt Gulf energy exports, potentially pushing oil toward $150 a barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude rose above $90 on Friday for the first time in over two years.
Officials reported mounting casualties: at least 1,230 people killed in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and roughly a dozen in Israel; six U.S. troops have also died in the campaign, according to the figures cited by authorities.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said some countries had begun mediation efforts. President Trump said he should be involved in choosing a replacement for Khamenei and disparaged Khamenei’s son Mojtaba; Iran’s U.N. ambassador called those comments unacceptable and vowed Iran would not allow foreign interference. Iranian state television said a leadership council was discussing how to convene the Assembly of Experts to select a new supreme leader.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told television viewers that the “biggest bombing campaign” of the war was still to come. Israel said it had heavily bombed an extensive underground bunker complex that Iranian leaders had planned to use during the hostilities.
In Lebanon, state media reported clashes early Saturday between local fighters and an Israeli force that landed near Nabi Chit, a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon; no casualties were immediately reported. Israel has carried out repeated airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely populated area where Hezbollah operates. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 217 people had been killed by Israeli strikes since Monday and 798 wounded. Roads were clogged with fleeing residents, smoke rose over southern districts, and two hospitals evacuated patients and staff. Tens of thousands have been displaced; one resident, Jihan Shehadeh, said civilians are sleeping outdoors or in cars because there is nowhere else to go.
The developing crisis has drawn reporting and contributions from journalists across the region.
