Live! New supreme leader in ‘one or two days’, says Araghchi as missile attacks continue
Twelve killed in clashes outside US consulate in Karachi after Khamenei’s death; Iran fires more missiles as Israel targets 'heart' of Tehran
At least 12 people were reportedly killed and several injured on Sunday (March 1) after clashes broke out between police and protesters outside the US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the US-Israel strike on Iran.
A large number of demonstrators were gathered around the consulate, prompting local police to use tear gas and fire warning shots to disperse the crowd, police said.
Edhi Information confirmed that six people have been killed and several injured near Mai Kolachi Road during the firing and unrest. They were transferred to the Civil Hospital Trauma Centre, the Express Tribune reported.
Sindh Minister for Interior Ziaul Hasan Langar has requested immediate details from the Additional IG Karachi, stressing that, "No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands." He called for enhanced security at sensitive installations. He added that alternative routes should be determined to maintain traffic flow during the protests.
Iran vows fierce revenge
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday (March 1) vowed to avenge the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose death was confirmed by state television hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the 86-year-old cleric, whom he called “one of the most evil people in History”, had been killed.
In a post on Telegram, the Guards warned that “the most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces” would begin imminently, targeting what they described as the “occupied territories and American terrorist bases” in the region.
Those bases are situated in Gulf countries that are already grappling with the fallout from an unprecedented wave of deadly Iranian strikes. “The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation will not release the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah from a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment,” the Guards added.
Also read | Explained: What is Operation Epic Fury? Where is Khamenei? What we know so far
Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter have also been killed in strikes by the US and Israel. "After establishing contact with informed sources in the Supreme Leader's household, the news of the martyrdom of the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the Revolutionary Leader has unfortunately been confirmed," Fars news agency and other Iranian media reported.
Earlier, Trump said on Saturday (February 28) that a major attack launched by Israel and the United States killed Khamenei, announcing an assassination that he said gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back" their country but that also put the future of the Islamic Republic in doubt and raised the risk of regional instability.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote in a social media post. He warned of “heavy and pinpoint bombing” that he said would continue throughout the week and even beyond, part of a lethal assault the US has justified as necessary to disable the country's nuclear capabilities.
Also read | US-Israel strikes on Iran: What it means for India and South Asia
The killing of Khamenei in the second Trump administration assault on Iran in eight months appeared certain to create a leadership vacuum given the absence of a known successor and because the 86-year-old supreme leader had final say on all major policies during his decades in power. He led Iran's clerical establishment and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the two main centres of power in the governing theocracy.
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Live Updates
- 1 March 2026 2:58 PM IST
UP families desperate for news as contact with kin in Iran goes dark
A wave of anxiety has gripped families in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, as they struggle to reach loved ones, students and Islamic scholars, stranded in Qom, Iran, amid ongoing US and Israeli strikes. At least eight people from the district are currently there for religious studies, including Maulana Zafar Abbas Faizi, Maulana Abid Husain Kazmi, Maulana Ali Mehdi Rizvi, and others. Brief contact was established with some after the initial attack, but communication has since snapped, deepening fears.
Maulana Abbas Mehdi Sadaf, whose brother Maulana Zafar Abbas Faizi is studying in Qom, said: "We spoke to him after the attack. He informed us that the strike occurred near the border of Qom. He said the situation was under control and civilians were moving normally on the streets."
Advocate Dilkash Rizvi said the family has been in acute distress. "We managed to speak to some people initially, but since then, communication has not been possible." Relatives have been gathering at mosques to pray for their safety, and affected families have appealed to the Indian government to ensure their secure return.
- 1 March 2026 2:53 PM IST
Pakistan cancels 184 Middle East flights as Iran conflict disrupts air travel
At least 184 international flights from Pakistan to the Middle East have been cancelled since Saturday following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson confirmed cancellations from Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Sialkot, Peshawar, and Faisalabad to destinations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat, Sharjah, Riyadh, and Jeddah — with 40 flights cancelled from Islamabad and 46 from Lahore alone.
The cancellations follow the closure of Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports — major connecting hubs for flights to Europe, the US, Canada, and South America — after airline authorities suspended air traffic across the region due to escalating Iranian missile and drone attacks on US bases. Pakistan's domestic flight operations remain unaffected.
- 1 March 2026 2:41 PM IST
Oman says oil tanker attacked off its port on the Strait of Hormuz, injuring 4
Oman on Sunday said an oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz came under attack, wounding four mariners on board.
The attack targeted a Palau-flagged vessel called Skylight, the state-run Oman News Agency said. It described the crew as Indian and Iranian.
It wasn't clear who attacked the vessel, but it came as authorities have said Iran has been threatening ships travelling the strait via radio since the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran. - 1 March 2026 2:37 PM IST
Massive explosion hits Tehran as Israel says it is targeting ‘heart’ of city
A massive explosion has struck Iran's capital Tehran as the Israeli military said it was targeting the “heart” of the city.
The blast sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky and shook the ground. It wasn't immediately clear what the target was. The blast appeared centred in a neighbourhood home to the country's police headquarters and Iranian state television.
The Israeli military said it was striking targets in central Tehran. It said that on the first day of the war, the military cleared the path to Tehran, and on the second day, it was striking central Tehran. - 1 March 2026 1:49 PM IST
6 killed as police, protesters clash near US consulate in Pakistan
At least six persons were killed and several injured on Sunday after clashes broke out between police and protesters outside the US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the US-Israel strike on Iran.
A large number of demonstrators were gathered around the consulate, prompting local police to use tear gas and fire warning shots to disperse the crowd, police said.
Edhi Information confirmed that six people have been killed and several injured near Mai Kolachi Road during the firing and unrest. They were transferred to the Civil Hospital Trauma Centre, the Express Tribune reported.
Sindh Minister for Interior Ziaul Hasan Langar has requested immediate details from the Additional IG Karachi, stressing that, "No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands." He called for enhanced security at sensitive installations. He added that alternative routes should be determined to maintain traffic flow during the protests.
"Law enforcement agencies are fully alert and monitoring the situation closely," the minister added. The minister concluded that action will be taken against those disrupting law and order in accordance with the law.
Shia organisations had announced a march towards the US Consulate in Karachi in protest of the Khamenei’s death and voiced their intention to march towards the mission.
- 1 March 2026 1:31 PM IST
We're safe but there is a little bit of worry, says Sindhu's coach Irwansyah
Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama, who trains two-time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu, had a narrow escape after an explosion occurred close to where they were stationed at Dubai Airport while travelling to Birmingham for the All England Championships.
Sindhu and Irwansyah were left stranded at Dubai International Airport after flight operations were suspended following escalating tensions in the Middle East. The tournament is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Explosions were reported across parts of the Gulf after Iran responded with a salvo of missiles, including in the United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi and in Dubai, prompting the suspension of all flights at Dubai airport.
"In Dubai at the moment, flights getting cancelled. There was an explosion in airport, so are stuck here at the moment," Irwansyah told PTI.
"They have put us in the hotel, we are okay but again there is a little bit of worry at the same time. We want to go to All England. I hope we can fly out today because Sindhu's match is on Wednesday." Sindhu on Saturday night detailed the tense moments on social media.
"The ordeal continues to unfold, and the situation is becoming more frightening by the hour. A few hours ago, there was an explosion close to where we were holed up at the airport," she wrote on Instagram.
- 1 March 2026 1:30 PM IST
Middle East airports closed and thousands of travellers stranded after attack on Iran
The attack on Iran by the United States and Israel disrupted flights across the Middle East and beyond Saturday as countries around the region closed their airspace and key airports that connect Europe, Africa and the West to Asia were directly hit by strikes.
Airports across the Middle East remained closed Sunday as the conflict moved into its second day. Emirates Airlines suspended all flights to and from Dubai until at least Sunday afternoon. The Qatar airport was closed until at least Monday morning, according to Qatar Airways. Israeli airspace also remained closed Sunday.
The closures have stranded tens of thousands of travelers around the world.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers were either stranded or diverted to other airports Saturday after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace. There also was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said, after the government there announced a “temporary and partial closure” of its airspace.
That led to the closure of key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines. The three major airlines that operate at those airports — Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad — typically have about 90,000 passengers per day crossing through those hubs and even more travelers headed to destinations in the Middle East, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Two airports in the United Arab Emirates reported incidents as the government there condemned what it called a “blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles” on Saturday.
- 1 March 2026 12:52 PM IST
Protesters storm US consulate in Karachi amid tensions over Iran’s Khamenei
Scores of men forced their way into the United States Consulate in Pakistan's Karachi on Sunday, as tensions escalated in the Middle East after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was announced.
Visuals showed police clashing with protesters on the street outside the consulate. While protesters threw stones, police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them. Another video showed scores of men inside the gate compound of the consulate, trying to break glasses of windows and doors to enter the main building.
- 1 March 2026 12:10 PM IST
Shia clerics announce protest in Lucknow following Khamenei’s death
Shia clerics call for protest in Lucknow over the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. Lucknow’s Shia community will hold a protest on the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The protest demonstration will be held at Chhota Imambara at 9 pm on Sunday.
Shia religious leader Maulana Kalbe Sadiq has announced three days of mourning. During this period Shia Muslims will protest with black flags at their homes and shops. Shops will remain closed for three days, and Majlis (mourning prayer meetings) will be organised in memory of Khamenei.
- 1 March 2026 11:54 AM IST
Iran fires missiles at Israel, Gulf states after US-Israeli strike kills Khamenei
Iran fired missiles at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states on Sunday after vowing massive retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten Tehran against further escalation.
Iran acknowledged Khamenei's death in the joint Israeli-American airstrike Saturday at his Tehran office hours, which has thrown the future of the Islamic Republic into question and raised the risk of regional instability.
The 86-year-old's death at his office “showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance,” Iranian state TV said.
Trump said the killing of Khamenei gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
Iran's Cabinet vowed that this “great crime will never go unanswered”, and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever, targeting Israeli and American bases.
“You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”
