The renewed violence on Sunday comes amid heated rhetoric from Washington and Tehran that suggests further escalation in the coming hours and days. The offensive is the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has used military force against Iran. Iranian retaliation has targeted Israel as well as civilian infrastructure and US military bases across the Arab Gulf states. Trump said the airstrikes aimed to end a decades-long threat from Iran and ensure it could not develop a nuclear weapon. Many Israeli officials appeared convinced that the death of Khamenei would prompt an almost immediate country-wide uprising, analysts in Israel said.

Source: The Guardian March 01, 2026 13:06 UTC