President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes, with his son Mojtaba Khameneilater chosento succeed him. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and expanding its ground operations in the south of the country.
Watch special coverage onNightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
Latest Developments
Mar 23, 7:24 AMTrump says no Iran energy attacks for 5 days, cites 'productive' talks
President Donald Trump said Monday he had instructed the Pentagon "to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions."Trump said Washington and Tehran "have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East."
The president had threatened to strike Iranian power plants on Saturday unless Tehran ended its efforts to block commercial shipping from transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. That deadline was set to expire on Monday evening.Trump said Monday that U.S.-Iran talks would "continue throughout the week."
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
Mar 23, 6:49 AMIran internet blackout enters day 24, NetBlocks says
Iran's nationwide internet blackout entered day 24 on Monday, according to the internet monitoring group NetBlocks.The blackout has now been in place for more than 552 hours, NetBlocks said in a post to X on Monday, describing the outage as "the most severe registered in any country.""International connectivity remains unavailable to the general public while authorities maintain a selective whitelist for global access," NetBlocks said.
Mar 23, 5:04 AM4 Gulf states report fresh Iranian drone, missile strikes
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait all reported fresh Iranian attacks on Monday.The UAE Defense Ministry said in a post to X that its forces intercepted an unspecified number of Iranian missiles and drones. In Abu Dhabi -- one of the country's seven constituent emirates -- the official government media office said one Indian national was injured by "debris falling in the Al Shawamekh area following the successful interception of a ballistic missile."
The Saudi Arabian Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted several Iranian drones over the country's eastern region on Monday. Iran also fired two ballistic missiles toward the Riyadh region, the ministry said, one of which was intercepted and the other of which fell in an uninhabited area.Bahrain's Defence Force said in a post to X on Monday morning that it had intercepted another 32 Iranian drones and two ballistic missiles.In Kuwait, the Defense Ministry said in a post to X in the early hours of Monday that air defenses were responding to "hostile missile and drone attacks."
Mar 23, 4:36 AMIran threatens to lay mines across Persian Gulf if land invasion launched
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In a statement issued on Monday and published by the semi-official Fars news agency, Iran's Defense Council threatened to deploy naval mines across the "entire Persian Gulf" in response to any land invasion.The council issued the statement ahead of the potential arrival of a force of U.S. Marines in the region."Any attempt by the enemy to target Iran's coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes" in the "Persian Gulf and along the coasts," the council said.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
Mar 23, 3:43 AMIsrael launches new wave of strikes in Tehran
The Israel Defense Forces said in a post to X on Monday that it had launched "a widespread wave of attacks" against Iranian government infrastructure in the capital Tehran.
Mar 22, 8:27 PMState Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'
In a notice on the U.S. State Department official website, the agency is advising Americans worldwide, "and especially in the Middle East," to "exercise increased caution.""Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate," the statement reads.The State Department is warning that U.S. diplomatic facilities, including those outside of the Middle East, "have been targeted."The agency warns that groups in support of Iran "may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world."
Mar 22, 7:55 PMIsraeli forces preparing to 'deepen the maneuver' in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it's planning to "deepen" its military actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon."We are now preparing to deepen the maneuver and strikes according to an orderly plan. We will not stop until the threat is removed from the borders and long-term security is ensured for the residents of the northern region," the IDF said."It is a long battle, and we are prepared for it," the IDF added.Further details about the operation were not provided.
Mar 22, 5:33 AMIran warns of retaliatory strikes if US attacks power plants, state media says
The Iranian military said on Sunday that Tehran would seek to retaliate against U.S. energy sites and infrastructure in the Gulf region if Washington moves to strike Iranian power plants, according to Fars News Agency, a semi-official state news agency affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Trump said on Saturday that the U.S. would "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz wasn't opened within 48 hours"If Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy infrastructure, as well as information technology (IT) and water desalination facilities, belonging to the U.S. and the regime in the region will be targeted pursuant to previous warnings," said Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, a spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces, according to Fars.
Mar 21, 8:25 PMTrump threatens to 'hit and obliterate' Iranian power plants if Strait of Hormuz not opened in 48 hours
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz isn't opened within 48 hours"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump said in a post on his social media platform.The largest power plant in Iran is thought to be the Damavand Combined Cycle Power Plant — which is located in the outskirts of the capital city Tehran.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz -- a narrow waterway off Iran's southern coast that normally handles about 20% of global oil consumption -- since the start of the war.Trump's post came as he floated on Friday that he was considering "winding down" the U.S.'s military campaign, claiming the U.S. was "very close to meeting our objectives."Trump also said Friday that the U.S. would "help" Gulf states secure and police the Strait of Hormuz "if asked."
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Isr...
