As the American-Israeli war on Iran entered its second day Sunday, Iranian missiles and drones struck targets across the Persian Gulf, hitting U.S. installations and energy infrastructure in allied Gulf states, while Israel continued air operations over Iranian airspace amid reports of heavy losses to the Islamic Republic’s senior leadership.
Three U.S. service members were killed and five seriously wounded in the conflict, U.S. Central Command said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was among several senior officials already killed by American-Israeli airstrikes. Others include Iran’s army chief of staff, General Abdol Rahim Mousavi, Defense Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh, and Secretary of the Defense Council Ali Shamkhani. Thousands of Iranians, led by Shiite clerics, filled the main square in the central city of Yazd on Sunday to mourn Khamenei, with many chanting and holding vigils. Social media footage also showed some Iranians celebrating Khamenei’s death.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian appeared on Iranian TV in a recorded address, offering condolences for Khamenei’s death and announcing that an interim three-member leadership council had been formed. It will consist of Pezeshkian himself, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a senior jurist from the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi.
In Israel, at least nine people were killed in an Iranian missile strike on the town of Beit Shemesh, according to local emergency officials.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps broadcast warnings that no ships could pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20 to 30 percent of global seaborne oil shipments. Tehran has not issued a formal blockade.
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An oil tanker, the Palau-flagged Skylight, was struck on Sunday near Oman and began sinking, with four crew members injured and all 20 sailors evacuated, Omani authorities said. Iranian state media said the vessel was targeted for attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz after its declared closure. Major shippers including Maersk have suspended use of the shipping route in response.
President Donald Trump said Sunday he was open to speaking with Iran’s new leadership. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk,” Trump told the Atlantic from Mar-a-Lago.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sunday found that just 27 percent of Americans approve of President Trump’s strikes on Iran, while 43 percent disapprove and 29 percent are unsure. Roughly half of respondents, including about one in four Republicans, said the president is too willing to use military force. The poll surveyed 1,282 U.S. adults on Saturday.
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