DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. military installations in the Gulf on Sunday after a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his Tehran office, raising fears of a wider regional war.
Iran acknowledged the death of the 86-year-old supreme leader, saying the attack that also struck a defense council meeting killed senior officials. Iran’s cabinet vowed the “great crime will never go unanswered” and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened its “most intense offensive operation” ever. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned in a televised address, “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price. We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”
President Donald Trump responded on social media, warning Iran against further strikes: “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
The U.S.-Israel operation, officials said, had been planned for months and targeted Khamenei along with Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. The strikes reportedly killed Khamenei and a number of top security figures. An airstrike on a defense council meeting reportedly killed Iran’s army chief of staff and defense minister, alongside senior Revolutionary Guard personnel and a top security adviser. Semiofficial Fars news agency, citing unidentified sources, said several of Khamenei’s relatives also died.
Following the strikes, Iran fired dozens of missiles toward Israel; many were intercepted, the Israeli military said. Iran also launched strikes toward U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Israel reported at least one civilian death in the Tel Aviv area; Magen David Adom said a woman died after being wounded in an Iranian missile attack. In the United Arab Emirates, state media said shrapnel from a missile attack killed one person in Dubai and that debris from interceptions caused fires at the city’s main port and on the facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel. Flights across the Middle East were disrupted and air defense explosions were reported over Dubai into Sunday morning.
Saudi Arabia said Tehran targeted its capital and eastern region and repelled the attack, while Jordan said it “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles. Iran’s strikes and the ensuing air defenses disrupted civilian life and services across the region.
The U.S. Central Command reported no U.S. casualties and described minimal damage at U.S. bases despite what it called “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.” The strikes opened a new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran, after a buildup of American warships and aircraft in the region in recent weeks. Democrats criticized the Trump administration for taking action without congressional authorization; the White House said several congressional leaders had been briefed in advance.
The attack on Iran, conducted during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and at the start of Iran’s workweek, came as the Trump administration said it sought to constrain Iran’s nuclear capabilities. U.S. officials have said Iran was rebuilding centrifuge infrastructure after previous strikes and had been expanding its ability to produce higher-quality centrifuges. Iran has said it maintains the right to enrich uranium while claiming it hoped to avert full-scale war; it also has blocked international inspectors from sites struck by the U.S.
In Iran, officials quickly formed a council to govern until a new supreme leader is chosen, and the government declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day nationwide holiday. Eyewitnesses in Tehran reported mixed reactions: some residents were seen celebrating, while public mourning took place at shrines and in official ceremonies.
Reports from within Iran said a girls’ school in the south was struck, with local officials reporting at least 115 people killed and dozens wounded; U.S. Central Command said it was aware of those reports and was looking into them. Iran’s state news agency IRNA quoted a governor saying at least 15 people were killed elsewhere in the southwest and that a sports hall, two residential areas and a hall near a school were hit. Iran and some diplomats told the U.N. Security Council that hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded in the strikes.
Analysts warned the conflict could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran sought to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for shipping; roughly a third of worldwide seaborne oil exports passed through the strait in 2025. With key regional capitals and U.S. forces now directly engaged, the risk of prolonged violence and broader instability in the Middle East has sharply increased.