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
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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, 11:43 PM GMT

IDF says projectiles have been launched from Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces released a statement early Monday morning local time saying projectiles had been launched from Lebanon toward several areas of northern Israel.

"Sirens sounded in several areas in northern Israel following projectiles launched from Lebanon. The details are under review," the IDF said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

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Mar 01, 2026, 11:41 PM GMT

What was said on Trump's call with Kushner and Witkoff before Iran operation: Sources

More details are surfacing about the conversations had in the days leading up to the operation in Iran, sources told ABC News.

The president spoke with his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner by phone on Thursday, multiple sources said.

During that phone conversation, Witkoff and Kushner told the president that Tehran was not serious about ending or dismantling its nuclear enrichment program, sources said.

The White House declined to comment.

In a phone call Saturday, the president told ABC News that talks between the U.S. and Iran had been going "very well." He added, "But in the end, we didn't think they were going to get there. And they would've had in a fairly short period of time some very fairly big nuclear capacity and we were not going to put up with that."

The CIA had been tracking Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei for months, tracking his daily movements, a person familiar with the intelligence told ABC News. When they learned there would be a meeting of top leaders on Saturday with the Supreme Leader, the timing of the attack was moved.

-ABC News' Rachel Scott, Mariam Khan and Shannon Kingston

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Mar 01, 2026, 11:41 PM GMT

Iran's interim leadership council holds its 2nd meeting: State media

Iranian state media shared a photo of a meeting of the interim leadership council on Sunday.

The picture shows Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi and a Secretary of the Guardian Council, Alireza Arafi, sitting around a table in a room. The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said this is the second meeting of the interim leadership council.

Iranian state media shared a photo of a meeting of the interim leadership council on Sunday.
Iranian state media shared a photo of a meeting of the interim leadership council on Sunday.

Based on the Islamic Republic's constitution, the council temporarily takes over the leader's responsibilities until a new leader is chosen by the Assembly of the Experts.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

Mar 01, 2026, 10:29 PM GMT

Trump says there will 'likely' be more US casualties amid Iran operation

As President Donald Trump departed for Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, he posted a video on social media acknowledging for the first time on camera the death of three U.S. troops killed during the U.S. operation against Iran over the weekend.

The president said he was sending "our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen" before warning that more U.S. troops will "likely" be killed as the operation rages on.

"Earlier today, CENTCOM shared the news that three U.S. military service members have been killed in action. As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives, we pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen," Trump said.

"And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That's the way it is -- likely be more, but we'll do everything possible. But that won't be the case. But America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization," Trump added.

Trump started the speech by touting the nine Iranian naval vessels he said were sunk, and said, for the first time on camera, that the Ayatollah was dead. The president also said that "the entire military command is gone" in Iran.

Later in the speech, Trump warned that those who did not surrender would face "certain death."

-ABC News' Meghan Mistry, Nicholas Kerr, Fritz Farrow and Selina Wang