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, 11:22 AM GMT

Several protesters killed at US consulate in Pakistan

Hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. consulate in Karachi -- Pakistan's largest city on the country's southern coast -- on Sunday to protest the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

At least six protesters were killed in the clashes, local authorities said. Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstration.

In a post to X, the U.S. Embassy in the capital Islamabad said it was "monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional demonstrations at U.S. Embassy Islamabad and Consulate General Peshawar."

"We advise U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news and observe good personal security practices, including being aware of your surroundings, avoiding large crowds and ensuring your STEP registration is up to date," it added.

-ABC News' Habibullah Khan and Ellie Kaufman

Mar 01, 2026, 11:20 AM GMT

Iran's president says revenge for Khamenei killing a 'legitimate duty'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a statement on Sunday morning saying that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was "martyred at the hands of the most wicked villains in the world."

"The assassination of the highest political official of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the prominent leader and authority of the Shiite world by the sinister American-Zionist axis is considered a declaration of open war on Muslims, especially Shiites, in all corners of the world," Pezeshkian said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran considers bloodshed and revenge against the perpetrators and commanders of this historical crime as its legitimate duty and right, and will do its utmost to fulfil this great responsibility and duty," Pezeshkian said.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Victoria Beaule

Mar 01, 2026, 11:18 AM GMT

Larijani says US 'will never achieve their goals'

Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, appeared in a television interview on Sunday to mourn killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and vow retaliation against the U.S.

"The passing of a great personality has wounded the hearts of all of us," Larijani said, adding that, "Americans should know that by stabbing the hearts of the Iranian nation, their hearts will be stabbed."

"What they did in a cruel way towards the Iranian leadership has angered the people so much that they will never achieve their goals," he said.

Larijani added that a temporary leadership council would be formed consisting of the president, the head of the judiciary and one of the jurists of the Guardian Council.

Larijani also posted to X on Sunday morning saying that Saturday's attacks on Iran "did hurt" but that Iran would hit the U.S. and Israel "with a force they have never experienced before."

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Victoria Beaule

Mar 01, 2026, 11:17 AM GMT

2 people injured by drone debris in Dubai, government says

The Dubai Media Office in the United Arab Emirates said in a post to X on Sunday that two people were injured in Dubai by "debris from drones intercepted by air defenses," which fell into the courtyards of two homes.

"The injured have received the necessary medical care," the post said. "Authorities also clarified that the sounds heard across the emirate were the result of successful interception operations."

In neighboring Abu Dhabi, the emirate's official media office said on Sunday two people -- including a child -- were also injured by drone debris that struck "the facade of one of the buildings at Etihad Towers."