7th U.S. service member dies in war with Iran; Mojtaba Khamenei named new supreme leader

Bahrain's state oil company declared a force majeure for its oil shipments Monday after an Iranian attack apparently set its sole refinery ablaze, the island kingdom's state-run news agency reported.

That's a legal maneuver that releases a company of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances.

Bapco said its operations "have been affected by the ongoing regional conflict in the Middle East and the recent attack on its refinery complex."

But the company said it could still meet local demand.

The Iranian attack sent thick plumes of smoke into the air. Online video purportedly shows the blaze at the Sitra refinery.

The state-run news agency later published a report saying "a fire broke out due to the Iranian aggression targeting a facility in Maameer, with material damage but no loss of life." Maameer is a village adjacent to the refinery.

Bahrain's government didn't immediately identify the refinery itself as being hit, though it's been a target of repeated Iranian attacks since the war began.

CBS/AP

Saudi Arabia lashed out at Iran following what the kingdom said was a thwarted drone attack on its massive Shaybah oil field, saying Tehran would be the "biggest loser" if it continues to attack Arab states.

The Foreign Ministry said "further escalation ... will have grave impact on the relations, currently and in the future."

In addition, a fire broke out Monday at an oil facility that was attacked in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain's only oil refinery was apparently also hit.

Six powerful Democratic senators have issued a statement sharply critical of the possible U.S. role in an "apparent" strike on an Iranian girls' school.

Brian Schatz, of Hawaii, Patty Murray, of Washington, Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, Jack Reed, of Rhode Island, Mark Warner, of Virginia and Chris Coons, of Delaware, said they're "horrified by the latest reports concerning the February 28th strike on an Iranian elementary school near the town of Minab, which resulted in the killing of at least 175 people, most of whom were school children. Independent analysis credibly suggests the strike may have been conducted by U.S. forces, which if true, would make it one of the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of American military action in the Middle East.

"The killing of school children is appalling and unacceptable under any circumstance. This incident is particularly concerning in light of (Defense) Secretary (Pete) Hegseth's openly cavalier approach to the use of force, including his statement that U.S. strikes in Iran wouldn't be bound by 'stupid rules of engagement,' in his words.

"American servicemembers are governed by strict regulations that are intended to promote the utmost professionalism, so this incident and any like it must be fully and impartially reviewed. Secretary Hegseth needs to ensure the Department of Defense's ongoing investigation into this strike is thorough, including whether any policy decisions may have contributed to the catastrophe, and provide clear answers to the American public and Congress about how and why this tragedy unfolded."

The U.S. may be responsible for the bombing of a girls' school in Iran that killed 168 people, many of them children, on Feb. 28, sources told CBS News.

The preliminary U.S. assessment suggests that the United States is "likely" responsible for the deadly attack but did not intentionally target the school and may have hit it in error, possibly due to the use of dated intelligence which wrongly identified the area as still part of an Iranian military installation, a person briefed on the preliminary intelligence told CBS News.

Read more here.

The IDF has launched attacks on central Iran, the Israeli military said on social media, saying it was targeting Iranian infrastructure.

At least 32 people, including children, were injured in an Iranian drone attack on Sitra, Bahrain, the country's state media said. 

At least four people were seriously injured and required surgery, the Bahrain News Agency said. Among them were a 17-year-old, an 8-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 2-month-old infant, BNA said. All were Bahrainian citizens, according to the outlet.

The U.S. lost another MQ-9 Reaper drone on Friday. As of Saturday, the U.S. has lost nine MQ-9s in its current military effort against Iran, according to two U.S. officials.

The total cost of nine MQ-9s is over $270 million. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told "60 Minutes" that "there will be more casualties" in the war with Iran.

"And no one is-- I mean, especially our generation knows-- knows what it's like to see Americans come home in caskets," he told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett. "It's-- but that doesn't weaken us one bit. It stiffens our spine and our resolve to say this is a fight we will finish."

Read the transcript of his interview here.

The IDF said it has detected missiles launched from Iran headed toward Israel. 

Several homes were damaged and multiple people were injured, at least one seriously, from Iranian drone attacks in Sitra, Bahrain, the country's Interior Ministry said on social media.

Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the second son of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran's new supreme leader, Iranian state media reported Sunday. 

Mojtaba Khamenei has never held elected office. But for years he has operated quietly behind the scenes from within his father's office, cultivating influence across the security establishment, particularly within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Read more here.

Iran's Assembly of Experts has chosen a new supreme leader, a source inside the country tells CBS News.

The powerful clerical body tasked with selecting Iran's supreme leader has not announced it yet, but multiple of its members have said they have already concluded their discussions. The official announcement is expected to be made soon.

Some of the Assembly of Experts members have mentioned Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the former supreme leader, killed in the U.S.-Israeli initial strikes, as the leading contender.

Claire Day

A U.S. service member has died from injuries received during Iran's initial retaliatory attacks, the U.S. Central Command said Sunday. 

The service member was seriously wounded during an attack in Saudi Arabia on Mar. 1, CENTCOM said. The identity of the service member will be released following the notification of the next of kin.

This is the seventh American service member to be killed in the Middle East since the war in Iran started on Feb. 28.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had talks with Iranian President Massoud Pezechkian on Sunday and urged him to stop attacks on Iran's neighbors.

"I stressed the need for Iran to immediately cease its strikes against countries in the region," Macron said in a post on X. He also called on Iran to guarantee freedom of navigation by "putting an end to the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz."

Macron is the first Western leader to talk to Iran's president since the beginning of the war. He said he called for the return of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, two French nationals who were released from an Iranian prison in November and transferred to the French Embassy in Tehran, after more than three years in detention on spying charges.

Both leaders agreed to remain in contact, according to Macron's post on X.

In addition to separate talks with Emirs of Qatar and Kuwait, and the presidents of Egypt and Azerbaijan on Sunday, the French president also spoke with President Trump, Macron's office said.

Macron stressed deep concern regarding the development of Iran's nuclear and ballistic program and said a diplomatic solution is necessary.

CBS/AP

Mr. Trump said Iran's next supreme leader won't last long without first receiving approval from the United States, despite Iranian officials insisting that the U.S. does not and should not have any input on the country's election process.

"He's going to have to get approval from us," Mr. Trump told ABC News. "If he doesn't get approval from us, he's not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don't have to go back every 10 years, when you don't have a president like me that's not going to do it."

While Iran is already preparing to name the new supreme leader, Mr. Trump said he would approve of a candidate linked to the previous regime, "in order to choose a good leader." 

"There are numerous people that could qualify," he added.

Saudi Arabia said a military projectile that fell onto a residential area killed two foreign-born residents and wounded 12 others in Al-Kharj governorate, officials said.

The Civil Defense spokesperson said in a statement that the two killed were of Indian and Bangladeshi nationality, and all the wounded are Bangladeshi residents.

These are the first casualties to be reported by Saudi Arabia since the war began.

CBS/AP

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter outlined on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" a vision for a "period of transitional government" in Iran. 

"What we're hoping for is that we move into a period of a transitional government where the minorities come together, where the majority of the people come together, all the various opposition parties come together for a transitional government where they can leave the country for a year or so — together with the guidance from the United States and Israel and other regional allies who will no longer live under the fear of being hit by ballistic missiles — and then move into a mode of a democratic process," Leiter said. "Let the people choose."

Questioned by host Margaret Brennan about the likelihood that the transition he outlined would take a long time and go beyond a limited military operation, Leiter said: "This isn't Iraq or Afghanistan, because in this case, 80% of the people oppose the regime." He argued that "they just need the ability to express themselves — that's what we're emphasizing here."

"This is not a repeat of forever wars," Leiter said. "They've got to put their boots on the ground, and they're beginning to be motivated and to feel that they're going to be able to accomplish that. They're beginning to move forward; it's just going to take a little bit more time. There's no long-term gain without some minimal pain."

The ambassador said they want "a united Iran," outlining that "we want to empower the minorities to have their say" in the political process.

"So it's not a matter of supporting this particular minority or another, it's supporting all the minorities," Leiter said. "What we're encouraging them to do is to coalesce, is to come together, to unify."

The ambassador said, "We can help them come together and rise up and say, 'we're taking our country back.'"

"That's ultimately the end game," Leiter said. 

Mr. Trump spoke with U.K. Prime Minister Kier Starmer on Sunday, a Downing Street spokesperson said. 

They discussed "the latest situation in the Middle East" as well as the use of U.K. air bases "in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region," according to the spokesperson.

Starmer "also shared his heartfelt condolences" over the deaths of six U.S. soldiers, the spokesperson said, adding that he and Mr. Trump "looked forward to speaking again soon."

Their call came one day after Mr. Trump said Starmer was "finally giving serious thought" to sending aircraft carriers to the Middle East in a Truth Social post. 

"That's OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don't need them any longer— But we will remember," the president wrote. "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!"

Israel's military said it launched a new wave of "extensive" airstrikes on Tehran, against infrastructure and other areas in Iran.

It was the second wave of strikes announced by the Israeli military on Sunday.

Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister, one of Switzerland's federal council members, said the government believes the attack on Iran constitutes a violation of international law.

The U.S. and Israel — as well as Iran for its counterattacks — broke international law's prohibition on the use of force, Pfister said in comments to SonntagsZeitung that were published Sunday. Switzerland is famously neutral.

Switzerland is governed by a seven-member federal council, who each hold portfolios as government ministers and take turns each year holding the top job of president. Pfister is part of the council and can speak on its behalf.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi criticized the U.S., Israel and Iran in a social media post, calling for "restraint on all sides, a ceasefire, and an urgent return to diplomacy."

While he described the actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iran as "both immoral and illegal," Albusaidi also said Iran's retaliation against neighboring countries is "deeply regrettable and unacceptable."

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the "period of elevated energy prices" will be temporary, "but it will not be long," as the Iran war continued into a second week. 

Oil and gas prices "shouldn't go much higher than they are here because the world is very well supplied with oil," Wright said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." He insisted there is "no energy shortage at all," saying the U.S. is a large exporter of natural gas and although refineries in Europe and Asia are seeing "interruptions in their crude flows," there are "massive energy stores around the world." 

"What you want is emotional reactions and fear that this is a long-term war," Wright said. "This is not a long-term war; it's a temporary movement." 

Wright said the U.S. still has 400 million gallons of oil in the strategic oil reserve, and "we're more than happy to use that if it's needed." But he added that it's a "logistics issue" because refineries in Europe and Asia need oil. 

"We're just doing pragmatic things to get through a short period that will that will bring in an era of even lower energy prices because a major energy-producing region of the world, the Middle East, will no longer have a strong, powerful Iran that can threaten their neighbors, that can threaten the United States of America and that was not far away from a nuclear bomb." 

The U.S. Central Command issued a safety warning to Iranian civilians, urging them to stay home and accusing Tehran of "knowingly endangering innocent lives."

"Iranian forces are using crowded areas surrounded by civilians in cities such as Dezful, Esfahan and Shiraz to launch attack drones and ballistic missiles," CENTCOM said in a statement on Sunday. "Additionally, Iranian forces are jeopardizing the safety of innocent people throughout the Middle East by deliberately and indiscriminately targeting civilian airports, hotels, and residential neighborhoods."

CENTCOM said the U.S. military "takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety in or near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes."

Israel's military said Sunday it has struck more than 3,400 targets in Iran and more than 600 in Lebanon since the Middle East war began last week.

One of the targets, the military said, was what it described as the "space force headquarters" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Tehran. It said the headquarters served as a "reception, transmission and research center for the Iranian Space Agency, which is affiliated with the regime's military."

"The site included research facilities as well as a command-and-control structure for the "Khayyam" satellite, which was launched in August 2022 and was used by the IRGC to advance terrorist activities and monitor the State of Israel and its residents," the IDF said in a statement.

Meanwhile, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani added that Israel believes it has destroyed 60% of the missile launchers across Iran, which he said is causing a bottleneck of launches and dramatically reducing firepower.

Strikes also destroyed Iran's two major missile production sites that created the missiles with a range to reach Israel, he said.

CBS/AP

Araghchi told NBC's Kristen Welker on "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning that "a new supreme leader is going to be elected soon" by Iran's Assembly of Experts, a government body that has the authority to make appointments to that position. 

The foreign minister said the Interim Leadership Council, which is acting collectively as the Iranian head of state, will continue to temporarily fulfill the responsibilities of the supreme leader until a permanent replacement is chosen. He added that Iran's president and parliament "are also doing their duties" and "everything is in its place."

Araghchi did not weigh in on whether the late supreme leader's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, will be elected as his successor. But he emphasized that the choice is up to the Iranian people, saying President Trump, who suggested that he should pick Iran's new leader, will not have a say.

"It's only the business of the Iranian people, and nobody else's business," Araghchi said of the election.

The council has reached a decision, members said Sunday, although the name has yet to be announced.

Iran's foreign minister said that before his country could even consider a ceasefire in the war with the U.S. and Israel, "they have to explain why they started this aggression."

Abbas Araghchi told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the U.S. and Israel started "this war unprovoked, unwarranted, illegally" and that Iran's attacks are "legal acts of self-defense."

"And we have every right to do that," he added.

Araghchi said his country isn't attacking other countries in the region, but rather U.S. bases, installations and assets "which are unfortunately located in the soils of our neighbors."

"We are retaliating," he said, adding, "There should be a permanent end of the war and unless we get to that, I think we need to, you know, continue fighting for the sake of people and our security."

Asked about the apology Saturday by Iran's president for attacks on "neighboring countries," Araghchi said an apology "in our culture is a sign of dignity and strength" and that the apology from President Masoud Pezeshkian was for "the inconveniences they have faced because of this aggression by the United States and retaliation by us."

But he said it is President Trump "who should apologize to the people of the region and Iranian people for the killings and destruction."

The United States and Israel have "torpedoed diplomatic efforts," and the war has entered "a dangerous new phase," a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement that the ongoing war in the Middle East has "shattered the very foundations of international law, and unleashed a devastating assault on humanity itself."

"Iran is now exercising its inherent right to self-defense under international law," he said in a post on X. "Silence and indifference in the face of such flagrant violations and atrocities will only further erode the credibility of the global legal order and embolden future aggressors."

In a separate post on social media, Baqaei warned that the war has entered a "dangerous new phase" after strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure. He said the deliberate attacks on fuel storage facilities "amount to nothing less than intentional chemical warfare against the Iranian citizens."

"By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale," he said. "The consequences of this environmental and humanitarian catastrophe will not be confined within Iran's borders."

He added: "These strikes constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide—all at once."

More than 32,000 American citizens have safely returned from the Middle East since Feb. 28, according to new State Department figures released Sunday.

Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said in a statement that the department has completed nearly two dozen charter flights, and flight and ground transportation operations "continue to ramp up," security conditions permitting. Meanwhile, Johnson said that "commercial flight availability across the region continues to improve."

The State Department has directly assisted more than 19,000 Americans abroad, according to the statement. More than half of American citizens who requested help have turned down transportation provided by the U.S. government when contacted, Johnson said. 

The updated figures come as the U.S. government has faced criticism from some Americans about its work to facilitate their return. 

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon, the army said on Sunday, the first Israeli troop casualties since fighting with Hezbollah was reignited.

"Master Sergeant Maher Khatar, aged 38, from Majdal Shams, a soldier from the Combat Engineering Corps in the 91st division, fell during combat in southern Lebanon," a military statement said, adding that a second soldier was killed in the same incident.

The second soldier's name was not released.

The war in the Middle East further escalated on Tuesday as Israel launched new strikes in Lebanon and Tehran, while Iran hit sensitive water sites in the Gulf.

Iranian leaders warned that the conflict is driving oil prices higher and threatening supply and Iran's president threatened more attacks on U.S. targets.

The war, which erupted on Feb. 28 after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes hit Iran, has so far killed at least 1,230 people in the Islamic Republic, more than 300 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.

This map shows the latest documented strike locations by the U.S, Israel and Iran.

A CBS News producer reported very loud explosions in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday amid Iran's escalating retaliation.

The Israeli military said it identified new missiles launched from Iran toward Israel and that defense systems are operating to "intercept the threat." The IDF asked residents to shelter.

"The public is requested to exercise responsibility and act in accordance with the guidelines—they save lives," a statement said.

At the explosions, Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service, said it was providing medical treatment to three people injured by shrapnel, including a man in serious condition.

Pope Leo XIV urged an end to the violence in Iran and across the Middle East and called for renewed efforts to open space for dialogue.

Speaking at the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square, the pope prayed that the "roar of bombs" in the Middle East would cease and that the news from the region "continues to arouse deep dismay."

"Added to the episodes of violence and devastation and the widespread climate of hatred and fear, is the fear that the conflict will spread, and that other countries in the region, including beloved Lebanon, may once again sink into instability," he said.

Leo asked people to pray "that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open in which the voices of the peoples may be heard."

Iran's parliament speaker warned that the oil price will continue to soar as long as the war in the Middle East continues.

"Trump said oil prices wouldn't go too high, but now that they've risen, he says they'll correct soon!" Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a social media post. "If the war continues like this, there'll be neither a way to sell oil nor the capacity to produce it."

He said the war is not only impacting the U.S. but also the Middle East and the rest of the world "due to Netanyahu's delusions," referring to Israel's prime minister.

Oil prices have soared since the U.S. and Israel launched their attack on Iran on Feb. 28.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. oil benchmark, rose 6.8% to $86.57 per barrel on Friday morning, according to data from Factset. Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped 4.7% to $89.44. Both were trading near their highest levels since April 2024.

In the U.S., the spike in oil prices is leading to sharply higher fuel costs. As of Friday, the national average gas price has jumped 32 cents a gallon over the last seven days, to roughly $3.31 a gallon — the highest since August of 2024, according to GasBuddy.

The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of launching a new barrage that included 17 ballistic missiles and 117 drones on Sunday.

The UAE's Defense Ministry said in a statement that it intercepted 16 missiles and that a 17th fell into the sea. It also said it intercepted nearly all of the drones, but four fell in UAE territory.

The ministry, which did not specify the location of Sunday's attacks, said it is "fully prepared to respond to any threats, firmly countering anything that aims to undermine the country's security, safeguarding its sovereignty, stability, and national interests."

A New York City police officer who was deployed to the Middle East with the U.S. Army National Guard died Friday after suffering a medical episode, local officials said.

Major Sorffly Davius was deployed with the 42nd Infantry Division to Kuwait in support of the war with Iran, the NYPD said.

A U.S. Central Command spokesperson told CBS News that Davius died from a medical episode unrelated to combat operations.

"Today, and always, we keep his family in our thoughts and prayers. May we never forget Officer Davius' sacrifice and may his memory be a blessing," the NYPD said in a statement.

Read more here.

Bahrain accused Iran of damaging a water desalination plant on Sunday, raising fears that civilian infrastructure may become fair game in the nine-day-old war.

The island nation, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been among the countries targeted by Tehran's drones and missiles since the war began. Attacks have hit hotels, ports and residential towers. At least one person has been killed.

"The Iranian aggression randomly bombs civilian targets and causes material damage to a water desalination plant following an attack by a drone," the ministry said in a statement on social media.

It is the first time an Arab country says Iran has targeted a desalination plant. Countries on the Persian Gulf coast heavily rely on desalination plants for their drinking water

The ministry also said that three people were injured after shrapnel fell on a university building in Muharraq city.

Iran's president vowed to step up attacks on American targets through the Middle East as the U.S. and Israel continue to escalate their military campaign against Tehran.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, in video comments released Sunday, appeared to be backtracking from his conciliatory comments toward his Gulf neighbors on Saturday, in which he apologized for the attacks on their soil. Iranian hard-liners quickly contradicted those comments.

"When we are attacked, we have no choice but to respond. The more pressure they impose on us, the stronger our response will naturally be," President Masoud Pezeshkian said in video comments Sunday. "Our Iran, our country, will not bow easily 

Pezeshkian said Iran is not looking for a battle against neighboring Arab countries, many of which host American military bases. "They are our brothers," he said, accusing the U.S. of trying to pit the region's countries against one another. 

CBS/AP

A senior Iranian cleric and member of Iran's Assembly of Experts indicated Sunday that a consensus is close on who will be chosen to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 28, the first day of the war.

Ayatollah Mohammed Mehdi Mirbagheri said in a statement released by Iranian state-run media that "a definitive opinion has almost been achieved," and a "majority" has been formed, although he noted that there were still "obstacles" to be "overcome."

The Assembly of Experts, a panel of dozens of clerics, has faced internal pressure to quickly name a replacement for Khamenei.

A possible contender is Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei. 

Bahrain's interior ministry reported early Sunday that an Iranian drone attack damaged a water desalination plant.

In a separate incident, three people were hurt and a university building damaged in the city of Muharraq due to debris fragments from a missile, the interior ministry reported on social media. 

During Israel's strikes on Iran Saturday, the Israeli Air Force struck Iranian military compounds with F-14 Tomcat fighter jets that were parked at Isfahan Shahid Beheshti International Airport in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, an Israeli official told CBS News.

Additionally, detection systems and air defense systems that posed a threat to the Israeli Air Force aircraft were also struck, the official said.

This strike was in addition to a strike on Friday which dismantled 16 aircraft at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran that the official alleged were used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Qud Force, an international branch of the Guard.

The F-14 Tomcat was a U.S.-built fighter jet that was first flown by the U.S. Navy in the early 1970s and retired from use by the U.S. in 2006, according to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Dozens were sold to Iran prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. 

By Michal Ben-Gal

Israel Defense Forces attacked oil refining infrastructure in Tehran Saturday with the aim of disrupting the activities of Iran's military and its development of weapons, an Israeli official told CBS News Sunday.

The fuel stored in the attacked infrastructure is officially supplied to the Iranian armed forces, the official said.

The Iranian military relies exclusively on the fuel processed in the refineries, for operations, production, research and development needs of the Iranian army and the regime, the official added. 

On Saturday, photos and videos showed a massive plume of flames and smoke billowing hundreds of feet into the air as Iranian state-run media reported that an oil storage facility had been targeted in strikes. 

By Michal Ben-Gal

The Israeli military early Sunday said it launched what it described as a "new wave" of strikes on Iran.  

Israel Defense Forces said on social media the strikes targeted the "terrorist regime's infrastructure across Iran."

The IDF had reported about 30 minutes prior that Iran fired a volley of missiles toward Israel, and emergency alerts had been sent out to impacted regions across the country.

It was not clear which country had launched its attack first. 

A few hours earlier, the IDF said that it had launched a targeted strike in Beirut on "key commanders" of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Qud Force, an international branch of the Guard.

Lebanon's health ministry then reported that four people were killed in a strike on a hotel in a popular tourist area of Beirut, according to Agence France-Presse. 

In a phone interview with CBS News late Saturday evening, President Trump dismissed threats from Iran's top national-security official, Ali Larijani, who posted on social media earlier Saturday that Mr. Trump must "pay the price" for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran. 

Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a longtime confidant of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has emerged as one of Iran's most high-profile leaders in the wake of Khamenei's Feb. 28 killing on the first day of the war. 

"I have no idea what he's talking about, who he is. I couldn't care less," Mr. Trump told CBS News, adding that Larijani has "already been defeated."

Mr. Trump also pushed back against the latest wave of critical statements from Larijani and other Iranian leaders, calling them weak and increasingly diminished in the region. He reiterated that the U.S. strikes will continue as he demands an "unconditional surrender" from Iran. 

Read more here. 

President Trump said Saturday he had "ruled out" the idea of asking armed Iranian Kurdish groups to launch a ground attack into Iran, two days after he said he welcomed the idea.  

"We're not looking to the Kurds going in," Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to Florida after attending the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait on Feb. 28. "We're very friendly with the Kurds, as you know, but we don't want to make the war any more complex than it already."

This appeared to contradict an earlier statement from Mr. Trump, who told Reuters Thursday that "I think it's wonderful" if Iranian Kurds joined the war effort against Iran. "I'd be all for it."

The Kurdish ethnic minority make up around 10% of Iran's population, and there are several armed Iranian opposition groups in exile across the border in northern Iraq.

One of those, the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, told CBS News that its camp was struck by a drone Thursday. It said the drone was launched either by the Iranian regime, or by a militia group that is backed by the Iranian government. 

A second Kurdish Iranian group also told CBS News that its base was targeted with drones Friday.

The Iranian Kurdish groups CBS News spoke to in Iraq are only lightly armed, mainly with AK-47s. It would be a struggle for them to take on the Iranian regime with its drones and ballistic missiles.

"I don't want the Kurds going in," Mr. Trump said Saturday. "I don't want to see the Kurds get hurt, get killed. We've had a good relationship. They're willing to go in, but…I've told them I don't want them to go in."

Lebanon's health ministry said Sunday that an Israeli strike on a hotel in central Beirut killed at least four people, with Israel saying it had targeted commanders from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Early Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said an Israeli air strike hit Beirut's city center, targeting "a hotel room," killing four people and wounding 10 others.

Israel Defense Forces earlier announced it had "begun an additional wave of strikes in Beirut," saying it was targeting the capital's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

A separate statement later said Israeli forces carried out a "precise strike" in Beirut, targeting "key commanders" in the Quds Force, the Guards' foreign operations arm. The statement, which did not specify the exact location, accused the unidentified commanders of planning "terror attacks" against Israel.

An Agence France-Presse photographer at the bombarded seafront hotel saw one room on the fourth floor with shattered glass and charred walls, while security forces cordoned off the site.

The hotel's area of Raouche is a major tourist destination and had remained untouched by Israeli strikes during the war between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a ceasefire in November 2024.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Monday, when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel, which has kept up strikes targeting Hezbollah despite the 2024 ceasefire, launched multiple waves of strikes this week across Lebanon and sent ground troops into border areas.

Thousands of delegates arrived in Beijing this week for one of the country's most important political events, the National People's Congress.

Hanging over this year's National People's Congress was the war in the Middle East, 3,500 miles away, except none of the delegates here wanted to talk about it when approached by CBS News.

The US-Israel-led war on Iran has exposed China's Achilles' heel: its reliance on oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf.

China, one of Iran's closest allies, is the largest importer of energy in the world and buys nearly all of Iran's sanctioned oil. That supply line has been severely disrupted by the war.

Inside the Great Hall of the People, Chinese President Xi Jinping looked on as Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the annual report and his country unveiled its new five-year plan focusing on becoming technologically self-reliant.

While that plan is critical for setting out China's strategy, the outcome of the war in the Middle East could have a much larger impact on the long-term future of its economy.

Facing a growing rivalry with the U.S., China is continuing to spend on defense and is aiming for global supremacy in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other technologies.

China has condemned the war, and sent a special envoy to the Middle East to try and deescalate tensions. If this becomes a protracted conflict, China could in fact benefit, with the U.S. draining resources and military hardware and losing focus on its greatest power rival.

Kuwait's defense ministry said early Sunday local time that fuel tanks at the Gulf nation's international airport were targeted in an Iranian drone attack.

"The fuel tanks of Kuwait International Airport were attacked by drones in a direct targeting of vital infrastructure," an official defense ministry spokesman said, according to a post by the Kuwaiti military on X.

The spokesman added the country's forces were "responding to a wave of hostile drones" that penetrated the country's airspace.

Saudi Arabia's defense ministry said its military intercepted and destroyed 15 Iranian drones early Sunday morning local time.

The defense ministry said in social media posts that it intercepted seven drones east of Saudi's capital Riyadh, and another eight that had entered the nation's airspace.

President Trump on Saturday told reporters, without citing evidence, that he believes a deadly strike on a girls' primary school in southern Iran last weekend was "done by Iran."

"In my opinion, based on what I've seen, that was done by Iran…We think it was done by Iran, because they're very inaccurate with their munitions, they have no accuracy whatsoever, it was done by Iran," Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after attending the dignified transfer of six U.S. soldiers who were killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait on March 1.

When pressed by a reporter if Mr. Trump's assessment was accurate, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded that the Pentagon was "investigating," adding that "the only side that targets civilians is Iran."

Iranian-state media and health officials have reported that the strike on Feb. 28, the first day of the war, killed dozens of people, including schoolgirls ages 7 to 12. Iranian officials have blamed the U.S. and Israel for the strike.

Israel was not operating in the area, two sources told CBS News Friday. One of those, an Israeli source, told CBS News that Israel was not behind the attack, and said that the Israeli Air Force was not operating near the school.

A person familiar with the ongoing inquiry told CBS News Friday that U.S. investigators believe the U.S. may have been responsible. 

President Trump gave a brief update on the war with Iran Saturday night aboard Air Force One, but declined to say how long the attacks will last, telling reporters "I never project that, whatever it takes."

"Their drone capacity is way down and we hit them where it hurts, including about every form of leadership you can have, we've wiped out," Mr. Trump said en route to Florida after he attended the dignified transfer of six service members who were killed in the first days of the war.

When asked about the possibility of troops on the ground, the president said he didn't want to speak about it, saying it is "not an appropriate question."

"Could there be? Possibly for very good reason, have to be very good reason," Mr. Trump said. "I would say if we ever did that, they (Iran) would be so decimated that they wouldn't be able to fight at the ground level."

President Trump said Saturday the United Kingdom is considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but he indicated they were not needed. 

In a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon in which he described the U.K. as "our once Great Ally," Mr. Trump appeared to take a shot at his counterpart, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The U.K. was "finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East," Mr. Trump wrote. "That's OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don't need them any longer — But we will remember. We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!"

On March 1, Starmer announced that he had granted a U.S. request to use British military bases for what he said was the "specific and limited defensive purpose" of destroying Iranian missiles, but said that the U.K. would not be joining the war.

On Monday, however, Mr. Trump told the Daily Telegraph he was "very disappointed" in Starmer, saying Starmer took "far too much time" to approve that request. 

The Spanish Embassy in Iran was fully evacuated on Saturday, Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares said on X.

"The Ambassador and essential personnel who remained in Tehran have just crossed the border into Azerbaijan and are safe," Manuel Albares wrote.

However, other Spanish embassies in the region remain operational through emergency phone lines, Albares said.  

"We continue working for the protection of Spaniards," the foreign minister said.

he ruling emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke by telephone Saturday to President Trump about the rapidly intensifying war in Iran and the surrounding region. 

Qatar announced the call in a social media post saying the Emir spoke about the current escalation seen in the Middle East region, and said the conflict will have dangerous repercussions on international security and peace.

He stressed the importance of containing the crisis and intensifying diplomacy to end it, adding that Qatar would defend its sovereignty, security, and national interests in line with the UN Charter and the provisions of international law.

"Both sides affirmed the necessity of joint action to maintain regional and international stability and to support political processes that can address current tensions and prevent further escalation in the region," Qatar said in a statement.

The White House has not confirmed the call.

President Trump participated in a dignified transfer on Saturday of six service members who were killed in the first days of the war with Iran.

Mr. Trump, joined by first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, attended the transfer of the Americans killed in action at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The fallen servicemembers were identified by the Department of Defense as Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien, 45 and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54.

Read the full story here.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is "continuing with full force" with its attack on Iran and that the alliance with the U.S. is "deeper than ever."

"We are changing the face of the Middle East, but not only that, we are changing ourselves," Netanyahu said in a statement. "After October 7th, I decided to lead a polar shift: actions that dramatically alter the balance of power between us and our enemies. Through calculated risk taking, we have become a regional power."

Netanyahu said the U.S. and Israel joined forces to remove the threat of Iran's ballistic and nuclear capabilities.

"There was a further danger that Iran would preempt us and strike first; for all these reasons, we struck at the chosen time," the Israeli prime minister said. "Moving forward, we have an organized plan with many surprises designed to destabilize the regime and enable change."

Massive plumes of flames lit up the night sky in Tehran on Saturday after the Iranian state news agency said that an oil storage facility was targeted by the latest U.S. and Israeli strikes.

The depot, the IRNA news agency reported, was in an area close to a key oil refinery and the refinery's facilities "were not damaged in the military attacks."

Photos showed the horizon over Tehran glowing with pillars of flame and billowing smoke.

It is among the first times a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.

Israel's military did not immediately comment on the targets of the latest strike, but said Israel had recently launched another round of strikes in Tehran. Iran's state media, in response, threatened to hit oil refineries in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

CBS/AP

Some Iranian missiles believed to be targeting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad were intercepted by U.S. air defense systems on Saturday, a source in the region told CBS News.

Elsewhere, three Iraqi security officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that a missile had landed on the helicopter landing pad in the U.S. embassy complex in Baghdad. Residents reported hearing explosions and the sound of air defenses intercepting incoming missiles or drones Saturday evening.

The AP said there were no casualties reported. 

A person in Dubai was killed on Saturday after debris from an "aerial interception" fell onto a vehicle, officials said.

The vehicle was in the Al Barsha area and the driver, identified only as being Asian, was killed, authorities said, without providing additional details.

This brings the number of people killed in the UAE since the war began to four. Authorities have said all were foreign nationals.

CBS/AP

Israel and Iran continued to trade airstrikes on Saturday night, sending residents to cover.

A wave of strikes shook neighborhoods in Tehran's east and southwest. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Iran launched more missiles toward Israel.

Ir ordered residents across the country, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to seek over in shelters.

CBS/AP

Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 41 people were killed and 40 wounded overnight in Nabi Chit and areas nearby. Lebanon said the deaths happened during an Israeli operation searching for Ron Arad, an Israeli navigator who disappeared 40 years ago. 

Arad went missing after parachuting from a fighter jet that crashed in Lebanon in 1986. He was captured alive. 

The Lebanese army and state media said an Israeli commando force landed on the mountains along the border with Syria on Saturday before heading to the eastern town of Nabi Chit, where they clashed with Hezbollah and local fighters.

Elsewhere in Lebanon, Israel's air force conducted strikes on different parts of eastern and southern Lebanon.

Mr. Trump arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday for the dignified transfer of six service members killed in Kuwait.

He was joined by fiirst lady Melania Trump. The families of the soldiers, who were all members of the 103rd Sustainment Command, are expected to attend the transfer. 

All six servicemembers were killed during an unmanned aircraft system attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on Saturday, March 1. 

The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Mr. Trump called participating in the transfer "the toughest thing I have to do" as president. 

The U.K. said Saturday the U.S. is using British bases for defensive operations to prevent Iran from firing missiles into the region. The missiles are putting British lives at risk, the U.K said. 

The U.K. said its military has continued operations over Jordan, Qatar, Cyprus and the larger region to protect British interests. A Merlin helicopter is headed to the region to provide further airborne surveillance.

The British press reported last month that the U.K denied the U.S. permission to use both Diego Garcia and the Royal Air Force's Fairford base in England — both of which host American long-range bombers — for new strikes on Iran.

Reporting contributed by Mariia Kashchenko

The U.S. State Department cited the war in Iran as a reason to expedite the sale of munitions valued at least $650 million to Israel, bypassing Congressional approval.

The U.S. had announced late Friday they were expediting $151.8 in munitions to Israel. The agency also generally mentioned a request for thousands of 1,000-pound bomb bodies. Details about the munition sales were not fully disclosed until Saturday, following press coverage that noted the omissions from the legally-required public disclosures.

On Saturday, the U.S. State Department provided the media with its revised munition sales list to Israel, which included general-purpose bombs for $151 million and $209 million and critical munitions worth $298 million.

"The United States supports Israel taking necessary action to defend its country, consistent with international law, and we will continue to coordinate with Israel to ensure it has what it needs to defend itself, its people, and U.S. citizens living and traveling in Israel," a U.S. State Department official told CBS News.

Secretary of State Rubio invoked emergency powers under the Arms Export Control Act in order to waive the Congressional review requirements, citing the sale to Israel as being in the national security interests of the U.S. 

The Biden administration also twice declared an emergency, using the same legal basis, to bypass Congress and send arms to Israel during the Gaza war. 

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said Saturday evening that Iranian missiles caused a fire and other damage to a house and several surrounding buildings in the country's capital of Manama.

It was not clear if an Iranian missile hit the country or if the damage was a result of interception efforts.

"The Iranian aggression caused a fire and material damage to a house and several surrounding buildings in Manama," the ministry said. "Civil Defence is taking the necessary measures to extinguish the fire."

This is the first material damage the country reports Saturday, but sirens have sounded at least seven times.

CBS/AP

Britain's Foreign Office issued a warning Saturday advising against all travel to Israel and Palestine, citing the escalating war in the region. 

The office said British nationals who travel to the area do so at their own risk. 

The U.K. said assistance is present on the Egyptian side of the Taba border to point British nationals to the airport. The office said that their embassy in Israel is operating as normal. 

Israel's military said its army struck 300 targets in Iran over the weekend amid the rapidly intensifying war. Missile storage sites above and below ground were targeted, the IDF said. 

Israel also said it dismantled the bunker of Ali Khamenei, located beneath the regime's leadership complex. The supreme leader was killed last week on the first day of U.S.-Israeli strikes against the leader. 

The IDF said it was also fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, striking 170 targets over the weekend.

By: Cara Tabachnick and Michal Ben-Gal

The USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group (CSG) is primed to deploy to the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News on Saturday.

The Bush CSG is currently near Naval Station Norfolk after completing its Composite Training Unit Exercise, which is standard ahead of any deployment.

The group will move through the United States European Command region en route to the Middle East.

Its deployment follows that of the USS Gerald Ford, which has crossed the Suez Canal and is now operating in the Red Sea. It will take some time for the USS George H.W. Bush CSG to get to the region, but the U.S. official said it is expected to overlap with the USS Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is already in the region.

The U.S. State Department strongly condemned Thursday's Iranian drone attack in Azerbaijan on Saturday.  

Principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the attack targeted Nakhchivan International Airport and a children's school. Pigott said civilians were injured and "critical civilian infrastructure" was damaged. 

"These strikes are a flagrant violation of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and a needless escalation of Iran's aggression," Pigott said. "The United States stands in full solidarity with Azerbaijan against these threats." 

Missiles and drones flew across the Middle East on Saturday as the U.S-Israel war against Iran continued to escalate.

The U.S. and Israel have battered Iran, targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. Meanwhile, sirens rang in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

This map shows the latest known locations of strikes by the U.S., Israel and Iran.

A Chicago woman who is pregnant with twins has returned home safely after escaping the bombing unfolding in Israel, where she had been visiting family and friends amid the ongoing Iran war. Tamar Rubinstein told CBS News Chicago it felt "amazing" to be back in Chicago. 

Anna Rickert, of Crystal, Minnesota, and her friend, Laura vanZandt, arrived in Dubai the day before the airstrikes began and say they keep running into roadblocks. They told CBS Minnesota they were frustrated by the U.S. government's response.

Arun Mamtani and his wife, Monica Mamtani, were on their honeymoon when the conflict began. The couple told CBS Texas, "After the alarm, I thought that we are going to die here. I mean, seriously, there is. There is no plan. What are we going to do?" said Monica.

They eventually secured seats on an Emirates flight that avoided much of the conflict by flying over southern Iran and then over the North Pole.

The Israeli military said Saturday that it struck 16 Iranian military aircraft during a "broad wave of strikes" in Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, claiming they were being used to send cash and weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force of using the airport, one of the two that serve the capital, as a "central hub for arming and funding the regime's terrorist proxies" in the Middle East.

"Also targeted were several Iranian fighter jets that posed a threat to Israeli Air Force aircraft operating in Iranian airspace", the statement added.

The Quds Force is a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards that focuses on extraterritorial operations, unconventional warfare, and military intelligence.

Iranian foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, said the U.S. hit a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. 

Aragachi, on social media, called the incident a "blatant and desperate crime," and referred to it as an attack. He did not provide further details about it. Aragachi said that the water supply in 30 villages has been impacted. 

"Attacking Iran's infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences," Aragachi wrote. "The U.S. set this precedent, not Iran." 

The U.S. has not issued a comment about the alleged incident. 

More than 28,000 American citizens have safely returned to the U.S. from the Middle East, the U.S. State Department said Saturday.

Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson said in a statement that the figure does not include Americans who safely relocated to other countries or who have departed the Middle East and are still in transit back to the U.S.

Johnson said the State Department has completed more than a dozen charter flights from the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, which retaliated with its own strikes.

American citizens in Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel in need of travel assistance should complete the Crisis Intake Form, the State Department said.

President Trump said the U.S. operation on Iran is going "very well" and that the results have been "amazing." 

Mr. Trump said the U.S. has knocked out Iran's navy, air force and telecommunications. He said that the attack "had to be done" because the country was "very close to a nuclear weapon." 

He said the operation against Iran is "a service that we're really providing, not for the Middle East, but for the world." 

Mr. Trump also acknowledged the United States servicemembers who had died since the war began, calling their deaths a "very sad situation" and calling them "great heroes in our country."

Pezeshkian said Iran was attacking "legitimate targets" in Gulf nations shortly after issuing an apology to neighbors earlier Saturday. 

"We have not attacked our friendly and neighboring countries; rather, we have targeted U.S. military bases, facilities, and installations in the region," the president wrote on social media. 

Pezeshkian said the strikes "are exclusively against targets and facilities that are the origin and source of aggressive actions against the Iranian nation." 

Pezeshkian said Iran will "stand firm to the last breath in defense of our country and resist" the joint operation by the United States and Israel. He said that while Iran "has always emphasized the preservation and continuation of friendly relations" with neighboring governments, it has an "inherent right to defend itself against military aggression."

The Kuwait Petroleum Company said that it was implementing a "precautionary reduction in crude oil production and refining operations" amid Iranian attacks. 

The company said the adjustment will be reviewed "as the situation evolves" and that it was ready to restore production levels "whenever circumstances permit." 

Crude oil prices have surged amid the war with Iran.

A spokesperson for the Iranian president's office said that Pezeshkian's message during his televised remarks on Saturday is "clear."

"If regional countries do not cooperate in a U.S. attack against us, we will not strike them," Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, the deputy of communications for the Iranian president's office, said on X. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will never submit to coercion, and our powerful armed forces will respond decisively to any aggression from U.S. bases in accordance with the issued directives.

Earlier Saturday, Pezeshkian apologized for Iran's attacks on regional countries.

President Trump plans to attend the dignified transfer for the six U.S. soldiers who have been killed in the Middle East.

Mr. Trump will go to Delaware's Dover Air Force Base as the soldiers' remains return to the U.S.

The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief.

On Friday, Mr. Trump said in a social media post that he will be joined by first lady Melania Trump and members of his Cabinet "to pay our Highest Respect to our Great Warriors, who are returning home for the last time. GOD BLESS THEM ALL!"

Those killed in action were Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California; Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.

The United Arab Emirates said it detected 16 ballistic missiles and 121drones launched from Iran on Saturday.

The country's Ministry of Defense said in a post on X that it intercepted and destroyed 15 ballistic missiles, while the other fell into the sea. Only two drones hit the UAE; the rest were intercepted.

Since the start of the war a week ago, 221 ballistic missiles and 1,305 drones have been detected in the UAE, the ministry said.

They have resulted in three deaths of Pakistani, Nepali and Bangladeshi nationals; more than 112 people were injured.

"The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront any attempt to undermine the security of the state, ensuring the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguarding its interests and national capabilities," it said in a statement.

Jordan has been attacked with 119 Iranian missiles and drones since the U.S. and Israel launched the war a week ago, authorities said Saturday.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hiyari told reporters that Iran's attacks were aimed at "purely Jordanian targets" and that no attacks against Iran originated from Jordan.

"These missiles and drones were targeting vital installations inside Jordan and were not passing through our territories," he said, adding that 108 of the projectiles were intercepted.

Fourteen people have been injured in the attacks.

Police spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said most of the casualties suffered minor injuries from falling shrapnel.

CBS/AP

Mr. Trump said on social media that Iran will be "hit very hard" on Saturday. 

He did not offer more details except to say that "under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran's bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time." 

Mr. Trump also took credit for the Iranian president's apology to its Gulf neighbors, saying the concession "was only made because of relentless U.S. and Israeli attack." 

"They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East," Mr. Trump wrote on TruthSocial. "It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries. They have said, 'Thank you President Trump.' I have said, 'You're welcome!' Iran is no longer the 'Bully of the Middle East,' they are, instead, 'THE LOSER OF THE MIDDLE EAST,' and will be for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse!"

Israel's military said its special forces conducted an operation overnight deep in Lebanon to gather information about an Israeli navigator who has been missing for nearly 40 years.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said that no evidence was found related to pilot Ron Arad, who was captured alive after his fighter jet crashed over southern Lebanon in 1986.

According to Lebanon's state media, Israeli forces landed in the eastern Lebanese town of Nabi Chit late Friday. They were intercepted by members of the militant Hezbollah group, triggering a gunfight that lasted until the early hours of Saturday.

Ron Arad was believed to have been held in Nabi Chit until 1988, when he went missing.

"The IDF will continue to operate relentlessly, day and night, out of a deep commitment to bringing all of Israel's sons, the fallen and the missing, back home to the State of Israel," an IDF statement said.

CBS/AP

Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a prominent Iranian cleric, urged the country's Assembly of Experts to act quickly and name a new supreme leader a week after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

"The timely realization of this important matter will lead to national authority and the best possible organization of affairs," Shirazi said.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard answers only to the supreme leader, and in an apology to Gulf neighbors, Iran's president specifically blamed the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leaders for what sounded like a days-long loss of command and control in the armed forces. 

The Assembly of Experts is a panel made up of 88 clerics. Buildings associated with the group have been hit by airstrikes, likely slowing any meeting of the group. 

U.S. bombers have landed at the United Kingdom's RAF Fairford base after a dispute between Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the United States' use of U.K. bases. 

The 146-foot-long B-1 Lancers arrived on Friday evening, according to photos and CBS News partner BBC News. The aircraft is capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles and is the fastest bomber in the U.S. Air Force, the BBC reported. It can hit speeds of more than 900 miles per hour and has advanced radar and GPS systems, as well as electronic jammers, a decoy system and radar warnings to protect it from enemy strikes.  

Photos showed several Lancers at RAF Fairford. A U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy was also pictured. 

Military analyst and former British Army Officer Justin Crump told the BBC that the Lancer is "one of the most significant bombers in the world" and is capable of carrying large bomb loads a long way, quickly, if it needs to."  

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would suspend its attacks on countries in the region unless an attack on Iran originated from those countries, suggesting they were the result of miscommunication within the ranks of Iran's leadership, according to The Associated Press and Reuters news agencies.

"I should apologize to the neighboring countries that were attacked by Iran, on my own behalf," Pezeshkian said in a prerecorded address played on Iranian state television, according to The Associated Press. "From now on, they should not attack neighboring countries or fire missiles at them, unless we are attacked from those countries. I think we should solve this through diplomacy."

Pezeshkian also said the U.S. demand that Iran surrender unconditionally is a "dream that they should take to their grave," according to AP.

The statement came after Iran continued targeting Gulf states early Saturday, as Israel and the U.S. carried out more strikes on Iran.

Following Pezeshkian's statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it "the armed forces once again affirm that they respect the interests and national sovereignty of neighboring countries and have not taken any hostile action against them," but that "all military bases and interests" of the U.S. and Israel "on land, at sea, and in the air across the region will be considered primary targets and will come under powerful and heavy strikes by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Israel launched a new wave of strikes Saturday on Iran's capital Tehran and other parts of western and central Iran, the Israeli military said.

Israel Defense Forces wrote on social media that more than 80 Israeli fighter jets carried out the strikes, which targeted several military sites, including Imam Hossein University in Tehran, a university that Israel says was being used to train officers in Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

The IDF said it struck ballistic missile storage facilities and an underground command center, as well as multiple missile launch sites. 

Iran also launched a volley of missiles toward Israel Saturday, prompting emergency alerts across the country. 

The Kremlin early Saturday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

On the call, according to the Kremlin, Putin "reaffirmed Russia's principled stance in favour of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the rejection of force as a method to solve any issues surrounding Iran or arising in the Middle East, and a swift return to the path of diplomatic resolution."

The Kremlin noted that Pezeshkian thanked Putin for Russia's show of "solidarity with the Iranian people."

This comes after multiple sources on Friday, including a senior U.S. official, told CBS News that amid the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, Russia is providing Iran with intelligence regarding U.S. positions in the Middle East.  

Russia and Iran have long been allies. In 2023, declassified intelligence showed that Iran had been sending material to Russia that would be used to construct a drone manufacturing facility for use in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

It remains unclear who is leading Iran following the Feb. 28. killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's Assembly of Experts, a body made up of dozens of clerics, will be tasked with selecting Khamenei's replacement.  

Journalists for Agence France-Presse heard explosions Saturday in Dubai, as well as in Bahrain's capital of Manama.

Two blasts were heard in Dubai and one in Manama, where a warning siren sounded.

"Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," Bahrain's interior ministry posted on X.

The Dubai Media Office also said there was a "minor incident" in which debris fell to the ground following the interception of an Iranian missile strike. 

Officials also said there were no injuries from the debris, and that reports of a possible impact from the incident to Dubai International Airport were not true. 

CBS/AFP

Iran launched a round of missiles toward Israel early Saturday morning local time, the Israeli military said.

The launch occurred a little before dawn, the Israel Defense Forces reported on social media.

"Defense systems are operating to intercept the threat," the IDF said of its sophisticated missile defense system known as the Iron Dome.  

Alerts had been sent to residents of impacted areas, the IDF said. A journalist for Agence France-Presse reported hearing a blast in Jerusalem after Israel sent out the alert.

President Trump said Friday he believes the U.S. is doing "very well" in its war with Iran. 

"Somebody said, 'How would you score it from 0 to 10?' I said I'd give it a 12 to a 15," Mr. Trump told reporters during a White House roundtable about college sports in which he fielded questions on the war.

The president then claimed that Iran's army, navy and communications were "gone," and that its air force had been "wiped out."   

He also said that "two sets" of Iranian leaders had been killed, alleging that Iran was "down to their third set," but did not elaborate on who specifically he was referring to.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, and sources told CBS News at the time that the initial strikes were believed to have killed about 40 Iranian officials.

Two U.S. officials told CBS News that among them were believed to be Iranian defense minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammed Pakpour.

The president went on to say Friday that he believed the U.S. military was "doing phenomenally."

During the first seven days of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. has hit more than 3,000 targets, and 43 Iranian ships have been damaged or destroyed, U.S. Central Command said Friday.

Data compiled by the CBS News data team tallies the targets of the war so far, as of 5 p.m. ET Friday. The data was collected from a combination of CBS News reporting, visual verification, government estimates and from think tanks like the Institute for the Study of War.

A dozen key Senate Democrats criticized President Trump for temporarily waiving sanctions to allow India to more easily buy Russian oil, accusing him of giving Russian President Vladimir Putin "a free pass" in an effort to quell soaring oil prices.

The senators, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called the strikes on Iran "reckless and poorly conceived," and said they have "resulted in huge spikes in gas prices."

"In turn, this self-made global energy shock is serving to enrich Putin and line his war coffers by offering him windfall profits," the senators wrote. "Instead of changing course, the President is only making this situation worse by handing Putin, his shadow fleet, and traders still dealing in sanctioned oil a free pass to increase oil shipments to Russia's second-largest importer."

U.S. investigators believe the U.S. may have been responsible for a deadly airstrike on a girls' primary school in Iran last weekend, a person familiar with the ongoing inquiry told CBS News Friday.

Investigators believe this because the U.S. was operating in the area while Israel was not, the source said. 

Iranian-state media have reported that the strike on Feb. 28, the first day of the war, killed dozens of people, including schoolgirls ages 7 to 12.  

The source stressed that no final conclusions have been reached.

Israel was not operating in the area, two sources told CBS News. One of those, an Israeli source, told CBS News that Israel was not behind the attack, and said that the Israeli Air Force was not operating near the school.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CBS News in a statement that the "investigation is ongoing" into the incident. 

"There are no conclusions at this time, and it is both irresponsible and false for anyone to claim otherwise," Kelly said. "As we have said, unlike the terrorist Iranian regime, the United States does not target civilians."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that President Trump is "well aware of who's talking to who" amid reports that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran on U.S. movements in the region.

Hegseth told Major Garrett in an interview airing Sunday on "60 Minutes" that the U.S. is "tracking everything" and factoring it into battle plans. 

"The American people can rest assured their commander-in-chief is well aware of who's talking to who," he said. "And anything that shouldn't be happening, whether it's in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly."

Earlier Friday, multiple sources, including a senior U.S. official, told CBS News that Russia is providing intelligence to Iran regarding U.S. positions in the Middle East. It was the first known indication that Russia is aiding Iran.

Read more here.

Data compiled by the CBS News data team indicates the number of strikes carried in the Middle East war as of 5 p.m. Eastern Time Friday. 

The data was collected from a combination of CBS News reporting, visual verification, government estimates, and from think tanks like the Institute for the Study of War.

The U.S. has struck 27 Iranian military bases and missile launch sites, the data shows, while Iran's strikes have hit at least 12 U.S. and allied military installations.

See the full tally below. 

United Airlines said Friday it has canceled all flights from the U.S. to Tel Aviv and Dubai through at least March 21 as the war rages on.

The airline said the canceled flights also apply to their corresponding returns. United said it is providing affected customers a travel waiver.

Airspace has been closed across much of the Middle East this week, leaving tens of thousands of travelers stranded and seeking out relief flights out of the region.

A spokesperson for Emirates, one of the two major carriers in the United Arab Emirates, told CBS News Friday it is currently operating at 60% capacity and is still flying to seven U.S. cities.

Emirates carried about 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on Thursday, the spokesperson said.

Advocates for at least four American nationals who were jailed in Iran before the U.S.-Israeli strikes started are growing increasingly concerned about their safety, as intense bombing continues across the country.

Two of those U.S. nationals have been named publicly: 49-year-old Journalist Abdolreza "Reza" Valizadeh, whom the U.S. State Department formally designated as "wrongfully detained" by Iran in May 2025, and 61-year-old Kamran Hekmati, who was arrested in July 2025 while visiting family in Iran.

Both were being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison before the war started. There has been no confirmed information on their whereabouts or condition since then.

Nonprofit groups say they are tracking at least two other U.S. nationals believed to be detained in Iran, whose identities CBS News cannot confirm.

Read the full story here.

President Trump will attend the dignified transfer for the six U.S. service members killed abroad on Saturday, the White House said. 

"President Trump and all Americans grieve for our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation," White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in a statement to CBS News. "On Saturday, the president will attend the dignified transfer of six of our U.S. military service members lost in Operation Epic Fury to stand alongside their families in grief and honor their legacies."

"These brave heroes represent the very best of our country – and we will never forget their service and sacrifice," she added. "They gave their lives for a courageous mission that President Trump will continue in order to eliminate the threats posed by the sinister Iranian regime and make our Nation and world stronger, safer, and more free than ever before."

Qatar announced Friday that it's partially reopening its airspace to a limited number of flights. 

The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that it is partially reopening its airspace for passenger evacuation and air cargo flights "in light of the current circumstances in the region, and in a manner that ensures the continued provision of essential air services."

"QCAA affirms that it continues to operate at the highest level of operational readiness, in close coordination with the competent authorities in the State, in order to ensure the safety and security of passengers and personnel in the civil aviation sector, and to maintain the safe and efficient flow of air navigation in accordance with the highest international standards," the government office said in a statement on social media. 

The QCAA also said it is continuously monitoring developments and will keep the public and aviation sector partners informed of any updates in the future.