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, 11:26 AM GMT

US Embassy in Jordan issues shelter-in-place order

The U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, issued a shelter-in-place order for all mission personnel, telling them to avoid the Embassy compound "as it may be targeted."

"All Americans should exercise increased vigilance and avoid the U.S Embassy facility," the Embassy said in a post to X.

Protests have erupted at several U.S. diplomatic facilities in the Middle East and South Asia following the launch of the U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran on Saturday.

-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey

Mar 01, 2026, 11:25 AM GMT

Ayatollah Alireza Arafi appointed to interim leadership council

Iran's Guardian Council announced on Sunday that it had selected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to join the three-person temporary leadership council formed to lead Iran following the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Arafi will join President Mahmoud Pezeshkian and the head of the Iranian judiciary on the council.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Victoria Beaule

Mar 01, 2026, 11:24 AM GMT

IDF claims killing of 40 Iranian commanders

The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it had killed 40 Iranian commanders in strikes on Iran.

Those killed, the IDF said, included the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, "seven members of the top Iranian security leadership" and "the majority of the highest-ranking senior military officials."

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Victoria Beaule

Mar 01, 2026, 11:23 AM GMT

Bahrain reports new wave of Iranian attacks

Bahrain's National Communication Center said on Sunday morning that it was been targeted by another wave of "Iranian ballistic missiles and drones."

Air defense systems "responded with high efficiency and full operational readiness," the statement said, repotting "limited debris" across several areas.

The statement did not say how many missiles and drones were involved in the latest wave of attacks. As of Saturday night, Bahraini authorities said the country had intercepted 45 missiles and nine drones.