Tehran’s bitter winter had penetrated the dungeon and left the frail inmate shivering with cold. Houshang Asadi, a communist dissident, took pity on his cellmate and gave him his sweater. The man refused it at first before tearfully accepting the gift. “Houshang,” the man said, “when Islam will come to power, not a single tear will be shed.”
That memory of Ali Khamenei in 1975 as an idealist who suffered for his opposition to the Shah stayed with Asadi for decades to come. Years later, in 2003, Khamenei, now the undisputed dictator of Iran who threw young men and women into those same dungeons, repaid Asadi’s kindness by forcing him into exile.
• Read in full: Who is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
All US bases legitimate targets, Iran warns
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that all US bases, resources and interests throughout the region are considered legitimate targets for the Iranian army after the US-Israeli strikes.
It said Tehran’s retaliation would continue “relentlessly until the enemy is defeated”.
A senior US official has told Axios that there are no US casualties as of now.
One killed as UAE and Jordan intercept Iranian missiles
The defence ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted several Iranian ballistic missiles and that a person in Abu Dhabi, the capital, had died as a result of falling debris.
“The UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, citizens and residents,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian state-run news agency reported that the country’s military had intercepted two ballistic missiles that entered its airspace.
What is the US navy’s Fifth Fleet?
The fleet, based in Bahrain, was targeted by a missile attack this morning. Photos showed a large plume of black smoke rising from the military installation where the fleet has its headquarters. At least 4,500 US military and civilian staff work at the port and base in Bahrain.
Manama, Bahrain, where the US navy’s Fifth Fleet is based
ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
It is responsible for securing the shipping lanes around the oil-rich Middle East, including the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. One of the major routes is the Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if it is attacked. The extent of the damage to the Fifth Fleet’s headquarters was not immediately clear.
Supreme leader and president were targets, says Israeli official
The United States and Israel targeted Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, and President Pezeshkian with their attacks on Saturday but the results of the strikes were unclear, an Israeli official said.
Ali Khamenei warned of a regional war should the US attack Iran
AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The official did not provide additional details. Iran has declined to comment on whether the supreme leader and the president were targeted but both have been taken out of Tehran, it was earlier confirmed.
Will Iran strike the Strait of Hormuz?
From the Bandar Abbas docks where they once built a replica US aircraft carrier only to destroy it, the Iranian regime’s military planners may have been casting their eyes over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days with some measure of satisfaction.
In a demonstration of military strength that could prove both key to the regime’s survival and its ultimate suicide, earlier this month the navy briefly closed the 24-mile strait through which a quarter of the world’s oil and a third of its liquefied natural gas travels.
After a handful of drills, tankers slowly chugged through the strait again, but the message to President Trump was clear: bomb Iran at your economic peril.
• Read in full: Now Trump has struck, is Iran ready to unleash hell on Hormuz?
People take cover in Jerusalem as Iran launches retaliatory missiles towards Israel
MOSTAFA ALKHAROUF/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES
Under the bridge of a highway in Latun
AMIR COHEN/REUTERS
At an underground metro station in Tel Aviv
JACK GUEZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Israel targeted ‘essential personnel’
An Israeli military official said they had targeted Iranian “essential personnel” that are “part of the plan to destroy Israel”, Reuters reports.
The Israeli military was still determining the success of initial strikes on Iran, an official told the agency.
Meanwhile, an Iranian military official declined to comment on whether the country’s supreme leader or the president had been targeted in the strikes.
Smoke rises from US base in Bahrain
Images posted on social media, which has been geo-located by The Sunday Times, appears to show a large plume of smoke after a missile strike against a US military installation in Bahrain.
The Bahraini government confirmed that strikes had been launched against the base but did not offer any additional information.
Bahrain is home to the headquarters of US Naval Forces Central Command and the US Fifth Fleet. Iran has continued to launch retaliatory strikes against a number of US military bases in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar.
Iran’s supreme national council has asked Iranians to travel to cities other than Tehran where possible to remain safe, but urged them to remain calm.
State media said there was no concern about the supply of essential goods and said people should avoid crowding in shopping centres, which could pose a risk to them.
A separate release said schools and universities in Iran would be closed until further notice, while banks would continue to provide services.
Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, will chair a ministerial meeting of Cobra this morning. It is understood the UK was not involved in the strikes against Iran this morning.
A spokesman for the British government said the situation must not escalate into a wider regional conflict. He said: “Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution. Our immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the region and we will provide them with consular assistance, available 24/7.
“As part of our longstanding commitments to the security of our allies in the Middle East, we have a range of defensive capabilities in the region, which we have recently bolstered. We stand ready to protect our interests.”
This year the UK deployed radar systems, counter-drone systems, F-35 jets and ground-based air defences to its bases in the Middle East.
Iran denounces ‘criminal’ strikes
Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs has released a statement calling the American and Israeli strikes “criminal military aggression” and accused the two countries of violating the United Nations charter.
The statement, posted on social media, said the US and Israel attacked during the holy month of Ramadan and called on the UN and its security council to take “immediate action to confront the violation of international peace and security”.
It said the renewed military aggression “is being committed in a situation where Iran and the United States were in the middle of a diplomatic process”.
“All member states of the United Nations … are expected to firmly condemn this act of aggression and take urgent and collective action to confront it”, the statement said.
Dmitry Medvedev
EPA/VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia‘s Security Council, chided President Trump on Saturday for the attack on Iran and questioned Washington’s staying power given the relatively short history of the United States compared with that of Persia’s civilisation.
“The peacemaker once again showed his face,” Medvedev, a former Russian president, said. “All negotiations with Iran are a cover operation. No one doubted it. No one really wanted to negotiate anything.”
“The question is who has more patience to wait for the inglorious end of their enemy. The USA is only 249 years old. The Persian Empire was founded more than 2,500 years ago. Let’s see in 100 years”
Iran ‘strikes US base in Bahrain’
Iran has begun launching retaliatory strikes against numerous US military installations across the Middle East.
Iranian state media has confirmed it targeted an American base in Bahrain with missiles. Tasnim, a semi-official news agency, confirmed the launches on social media. The island nation in the Persian Gulf is home to the headquarters of US Naval Forces Central Command and the Fifth Fleet. Air raid sirens were previously heard blaring there this morning and explosions were reported on social media.
There are also reports that Qatar has intercepted two Iranian missiles over its airspace. The US embassy in Qatar earlier implemented a shelter-in-place protocol for all personnel and has recommended US citizens in the region do the same until further notice.
The United Arab Emirates has also temporarily closed its airspace.
Sirens have also been activated in Kuwait.
Norway fears wider Middle East conflict
Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s foreign minister
JONAS BEEN HENRIKSEN/NTB/AP
The Norwegian foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said he was deeply worried that a new, extensive war was starting in the Middle East after the Israel-US strikes on Iran.
“The attack is described by Israel as a preventive strike, but it is not in line with international law. Preventive attacks require an immediately imminent threat,” he said in a statement to Reuters. He also urged restraint and not to abandon the search for diplomatic solutions.
US strike named ‘Operation Epic Fury’
The Pentagon has said its combat operations were named “Operation Epic Fury”.
The title was announced via a post on social media, and formalises the campaign as a major US military operation. Previous strikes on Iran last June were codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer”.
Israel has confirmed its own codename for the attack on Iran as “Operation Lion’s Roar”.
President Trump stepping off Air Force One on Friday
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Joint US and Israeli attacks on Iran have begun. Now the question is what war aims have been set by President Trump and whether the Iranians can be compelled to accept them (writes Mark Urban).
A last-minute Iranian concession on nuclear enrichment, revealed yesterday by Omani mediators, failed to avert the onslaught. So now it is a case of whether the US and Israel compel them to go further, accepting further curbs on that programme and their missile arsenal, or set an altogether more ambitious objective of toppling the Iranian regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Messages from Trump, who told the Iranians in the last couple of hours “your hour of freedom is at hand”, and Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, whose Persian social media channel urged people there to “return Iran to its glory days”, suggest this may be the case. But it’s also possible that such messages are an attempt to intimidate Iran’s leadership into rapid concessions in order to save itself.
Houthis ‘to resume strikes in support of Iran’
The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have decided to resume missile and drone strikes on shipping routes and on Israel in support of Iran, according to the Associated Press.
The news agency said it had spoken to two senior Houthi officials who confirmed the rebel group’s first attack could come as soon as “tonight”. Houthi militia had previously ceased their attacks after the ceasefire last October that halted major fighting in Gaza.
Strikes reported across Iran
Iran’s news agencies are reporting strikes throughout the country, in addition to the primary strikes on Iran.
Fars news agency has said that explosions have been heard in Isfahan, in central Iran, and Karaj, in the north. Mehr news agency said areas in Tehran, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Qom and Alborz had also been targeted.
The spokesperson for the Iran Civil Aviation Organisation announced that Iran’s airspace has been closed until further notice.
Wizz Air is suspending all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman with immediate effect until March 7, the airline said on Saturday.
“The airline is closely monitoring developments and remains in ongoing contact with local and international authorities, aviation safety agencies, security authorities, and relevant governmental bodies,” it said in a statement.
KLM has brought forward the suspension of its AmsterdamTel Aviv service, cancelling the flight scheduled for Saturday after strikes in Iran, a spokesperson said. The airline, the Dutch arm of Air France-KLM, had announced on Wednesday that flights would be halted from Sunday, March 1, but has now advanced that date. Only one flight to Tel Aviv had been scheduled for Saturday. The spokesperson added that carrier is assessing whether additional flights to and from the region would be cancelled.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Lufthansa is suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon, and Oman until March 7. The airline is also suspending flights to and from Dubai on Saturday and Sunday, a spokesperson said.
Iran facing ‘near-total blackout’
Iran is under a near-total internet blackout, according to the internet monitoring service NetBlocks. The organisation said national connectivity was at 4 per cent of ordinary levels.
The Iranian government has previously used internet shutdowns to limit information to its citizens and stymie protests.
Iran has fired retaliatory missiles, IDF says
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said Iran had launched retaliatory strikes against Israel.
In posts on social media, Israel’s military said: “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat.”
A second barrage of missiles against Israel was launched about 15 minutes later. “At this time, the [air force] is operating to intercept and strike threats where necessary to remove the threat,” the IDF said.
In a separate post, the IDF said: “Israel has the right to defend itself.”
‘It is the people of Iran who will finish the job in this final battle’
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, has said the “moment of destiny lies ahead of us” and vowed to return to the country “as soon as possible”.
In a speech posted to social media, Pahlavi said: “The aid that the president of the United States promised to the brave people of Iran has now arrived. This is a humanitarian intervention and its target is the Islamic Republic, its repressive apparatus and its machinery of slaughter — not the country and great nation of Iran.”
• Who is Reza Pahlavi? The crown prince urging Iranians to protest
“But even with the arrival of this aid, the final victory will still be forged by our hands. It is we, the people of Iran, who will finish the job in this final battle. The time to return to the streets is near.”
Tehran’s air defence activated
The air defence has been activated in Tehran, the Tasnim News Agency reported, after the Iranian regime earlier warned it was preparing a crushing retaliation to the US-Israeli launched strikes. It is unclear what response the regime is planning or where it intends to strike.
Images from Tehran on Saturday show people running for cover and clouds of smoke billowing into the sky
Netanyahu: We will remove existential threat
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has said that the joint US-Israeli operation will create the conditions for the Iranian people to “take their fate into their own hands”.
In a statement to the nation, he said Israel and the US had launched an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the “terror regime” in Iran.
Netanyahu said the attack “will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands”.
“The time has come for all sections of the people in Iran … to remove the yoke of tyranny from [the regime] and bring a free and peace-loving Iran.
Iran says president is safe
Iran has confirmed that President Pezeshkian is safe, according to the Mehr News Agency, but has not confirmed his location.
A source told Reuters that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
The agency was told by a US official that the US strikes in Iran will be a multi-day operation.
US ‘backing Iranian people with devastating force’
Trump told the Iranian people that “the moment for action” had come as the US was backing them with “overwhelming strength and devastating force” in strikes on the nation.
In a speech shared on Truth Social, Trump said: “Now you have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force.
“Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”
‘Lay down your arms or face certain death’
The US president said “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties, that often happens in war, but we are doing this not for now, we are doing this for the future. It is a noble mission.”
He urged the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, armed forces and police: “You must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death. Lay down your arms, you will be treated fairly with total immunity or you will face certain death.”
‘Your hour of freedom is at hand’, Trump tells Iranians
Trump has called on the Iranian people to “take over your government” after the US finishes bombing the nation.
“To the great, proud people of Iran I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered, don’t leave your home, it’s very dangerous outside, bombs will be dropping everywhere.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
‘This terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon’
President Trump cited numerous historic cases over decades, which he said showed Iran and its proxies had attacked US service personnel, as well as having armed and trained terrorist militias “that soaked the earth with blood and guts”.
“It’s been mass terror and we’re not going to put up with it any longer”, Trump said, adding that Iran’s proxy Hamas had launched the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
“It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades. They have rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions and we can’t take it any more.”
Trump: We’re going to obliterate Iran’s missile industry
President Trump claimed the US is undertaking a “massive and ongoing operation” because Iran had been redeveloping its nuclear programme and long-range missiles.
“The United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.
“We are going to raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy, we are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilise the region or the world and attack our forces.”
US ‘carrying out strikes by air and sea’
US strikes against Iran are being carried out by air and sea, a US official told Reuters on Saturday.
An Iranian official told the agency that Tehran is preparing for retaliation and that the response “will be crushing”. An official said several ministries in the south of the city had been targeted.
It was reported that further explosions were also heard in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz. State media confirmed explosions in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshahe.
Ayatollah ‘transferred to secure location’
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
IRANIAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE//ANADOLU /GETTY IMAGES
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is not in Tehran and has been transferred to a secure location, an official told Reuters on Saturday.
There were long queues at gas stations in Tehran, witnesses told Reuters, with many people seen leaving the Iranian capital, amid strikes by Israel and the US.
The Iraq transport ministry said on Saturday that it closed national airspace after Israel launched what its defence minister said was a pre-emptive attack against Iran, the state news agency said.
Explosions heard in Tehran
Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on Saturday morning and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital.
“The type of explosions suggests that this is a missile attack,” the Fars news agency reported, without immediately providing further details.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights Saturday after announcing it had carried out “preventive strikes” on Iran and sounding sirens in Jerusalem.
“Following the security developments, the Minister of Transportation has ordered the Director of the Israel Civil Aviation Authority to close the airspace of the State of Israel to civilian flights,” the minister, Miri Regev, announced.
Sirens sound in Israel as airspace closed
Sirens sounded across Israel around 8.15am local time as the military said it had issued a “proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of an incoming missile strike.”
The Israeli military announced the closure of schools and workplaces, with exceptions for essential sectors, and a ban on public airspace.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights, and the airports authority asked the public not to go to any of the country’s airports.
Israel says it launched ‘pre-emptive strike’
Israel said it launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran on Saturday.
An Israeli defence official told Reuters news agency the Israeli operation in Iran was co-ordinated with the US.
The attack, coming after Israel and Iran engaged in a 12-day air war in June, follows repeated US-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
“The State of Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” Israel Katz, the defence minister, said.