Iran lashes out with missiles, prepares for Khamenei funeral on Day 2 of war with U.S., Israel
Iran claims to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in Persian Gulf
« The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles, » the Guards said in a statement conveyed by Iran’s state-run media. It warned that the « the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors. »
The Lincoln has been deployed in the Arabian Sea, south of Iran, for weeks as part of the massive U.S. military buildup ordered by President Trump.
Getty
There was no immediate confirmation that Iranian missiles had managed to evade its defense systems to strike the ship on Sunday.
Contacted by CBS News about the Iranian claims of a strike on the Lincoln, a representative at the U.S. military’s Central Command, which is responsible for deployments in the Middle East, declined to comment. There was no immediate response from the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet to CBS News’ request for information.
Kevin Carter/Getty
Iran foreign minister says regime change « impossible, » new leader possibly chosen within 2 days
« If their goal is regime change, that is an impossible mission. The absence or death of the leader does not mean that, » Araghchi told the Qatari TV network Al Jazeera. « State institutions remain in place, and we have constitutional procedures. You may see the election of a new supreme leader within a day or two. »
Iran’s ruling clerics chose the country’s supreme leader from among their own ranks, he is not elected via national polling.
« We have always been open to diplomacy, unlike the United States, which attacked us for the second time during negotiations, » Araghchi said. « This time the situation is different. They must explain why they did this — but only after the attacks stop. Everything depends on when the aggression ends. »
Iran’s president says post-Khamenei interim leadership council up and running
« The interim leadership council started its work, » said Pezeshkian, who is among three people tapped to lead the new council.
Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images
« We will continue with all our strength along the path set by Imam Khomeinei, » he said in a recorded video statement broadcast on state TV.
Khomenei was modern Iran’s first supreme leader, who founded the Islamic Republic regime in 1979 after a revolution that toppled its previous, Western-allied government led by a shah, or king.
Pezeshkian added a fresh threat that Iran’s military would « forcefully crush the enemy’s bases » in the region.
CBS/AFP
U.S. Embassy in Israel warns it can’t help Americans evacuate
The embassy ordered all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue sheltering in place in or near their residences until further notice.
« Given the security situation and in compliance with Israel Home Front Command guidance, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will be closed on Monday March 2, 2026. This includes the Consular Sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. There will be no passport (emergency or regular) or Consular Report of Birth Abroad services, » the embassy said.
It noted that the country’s biggest airport, Ben Gurion, remained closed to all traffic.
The embassy remind U.S. citizens « of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness – including knowing the location of the nearest shelter in the event of a red alert as security incidents, such as mortar, rocket, and missile fire, and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) intrusions, often take place without any warning. The security environment is complex and can change quickly. »
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025, many Americans were stranded in Israel, and the U.S. Embassy offered no support with evacuations, while citizens of a number of other countries were evacuated by their embassies.
Some of the Americans left stranded last summer resorted to paying high prices to be privately evacuated from Israel by boat or via Jordan. CBS News spoke with some Americans who voiced surprise by the lack of support from the U.S. Embassy.
Death toll from Iranian missile attack near Jerusalem rises to 8
« Additional MDA teams are providing medical treatment and evacuating to hospitals in Jerusalem and to Shamir-Assaf Harofeh 28 wounded, including: 2 in serious condition, 2 in moderate condition, and 24 in light condition, » the agency said.
UAE says Iranian strikes kill 3 people, as Iran issues warning to U.S. allies in region
« Our air defenses have so far intercepted 167 missiles and 541 Iranian drones. The Iranian attacks resulted in three deaths — a Pakistani, a Nepali, and a Bangladeshi national, » the ministry said in a statement.
Since Saturday, Iran has targeted countries across the Middle East that host U.S. forces with drones and missiles.
« To the countries of the region: We are not seeking to attack you. But when the bases located in your country are used against us, and when the United States carries out operations in the region relying on these forces, then we will target those bases, » Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Sunday In a social media post, adding: « These bases are not part of the land of those countries; rather, they are American soil. »
Israeli medics say at least 6 people killed, more than a dozen wounded in Iranian strike
Israeli emergency services had earlier confirmed a barrage of Iranian missiles hit residential buildings in Beit Shemesh, causing damage and multiple casualties.
The volunteer medical response agency United Hatzalah confirmed at least six people were killed in the attack, after « multiple impact sites » in the city, about 19 miles west of Jerusalem.
Ahmad GHARABLI/AFP/Getty
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps announced another « large-scale » retaliatory strike earlier Sunday.
Israel’s official Magen David Adom emergency medical service later confirmed that six people were killed in Beit Shemesh. It said 23 people were taken to hospitals to be treated for wounds sustained in the attack, including two in serious condition, three in moderate condition and 18 with what the agency described as light injuries.
Ammar Awad / REUTERS
9 killed in Pakistan in clashes as protesters tried to storm U.S. Consulate
Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in the Pakistani port city of Karachi left at least nine people killed and more than 50 others wounded on Sunday, after hundreds of demonstrators attempted to storm the U.S. Consulate, authorities said.
The violence came hours after the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Police and officials at a hospital in Karachi said that at least 25 people were also wounded in the clashes and some of them were in critical condition.
Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city’s main government hospital, confirmed that initially six bodies and multiple injured people were brought to the facility. However, she said the death toll rose to nine after three critically wounded people died.
Sabir Mazhar/Anadolu/Getty
The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan wrote on X that it was monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Peshawar. It advised U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news, stay aware of their surroundings, avoid large crowds and keep their travel registration with the U.S. government up to date.
China « strongly condemns » Khamenei killing
The killing was « a serious violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, a trampling on the aims and principles of the U.N. charter and the basic norms of international relations, » Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
« China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this, » it added, calling for an « immediate halting of military operations ».
The condemnation came just after Chinese state media reported a phone call between Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
During the conversation, which state news agency Xinhua said was initiated by Lavrov, Wang said the « blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change » by the United States and Israel was « unacceptable. »
China is « highly concerned » that the « situation in the Middle East could be pushed into a dangerous abyss, » Wang told Lavrov, according to Xinhua.
Casualties reported as Iranian strike hits city near Jerusalem
The volunteer medical response agency Hatzalah said there were « multiple impact sites » in the city, which is about 19 miles west of Jerusalem, « with approximately 15 casualties at this stage, most described as being in light condition. »
« United Hatzalah volunteers on the scene are providing medical care, including treatment to three children who sustained head injuries, » the group said, adding that « further injuries are being documented, and there are indications of several individuals in serious condition in the vicinity. »
Sen. Tom Cotton says no « simple answer » as to who will lead Iran now
« There’s probably a lot of people jockeying inside Iran right now, » Cotton said on « Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. »
« They have a very consultative, deliberative process to replace the supreme leader, » Cotton said. « There’s a reason why he didn’t want to have a clear succession plan in place. »
But Cotton would not say if there was a plan by the U.S. or Israel for a managed transition.
« We’re going to continue to hit their military capabilities, and we’re going to continue to hit the senior leadership, the ayatollahs, who have also been complicit in 47 years of heinous crimes, not only against Americans, against their own people, » Cotton said.
When asked by Brennan if an Iranian opposition leader had been identified to potentially take over the control, Cotton said, « the opposition is 90 million Iranians who have suffered under the brutal Islamic Republic revolutionary regime for the last 47 years. »
« We can’t necessarily dictate what course that is going to take, » Cotton said. « But the help the president promised is on the scene for probably a few weeks as we make sure that Iran’s military is no longer capable of threatening our own troops, our Arab friends in the region, and Israel, and also repressing its own people. »
Read more here.
Omani port and tanker off its coast hit as Iran lashes out with retaliatory strikes
AFP correspondents also heard blasts in Dubai, Doha and Manama on Sunday, with explosions heard later in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh as Iran pressed its second day of retaliatory attacks in response to ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Iran’s continued bombardment across the Persian Gulf has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.
« A security source reported that the commercial port of Duqm was targeted by two drones, » the Oman News Agency said in a social media post. « One drone struck a mobile workers’ accommodation, injuring one foreign worker, while debris from the other landed near fuel tanks, causing no casualties or material damage. »
Shortly after, Oman’s Maritime Security Center said an oil tanker had been targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated and four of them were injured, the Oman News Agency reported.
Videos and photos posted online appeared to show the back of the tanker engulfed in flames and smoke and sinking.
CBS/AFP
Sen. Tom Cotton says Trump has « no plan for any kind of large-scale ground force » in Iran
« The president has been clear that what we should expect to see is an extended air and naval campaign that’s designed not only to continue to set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but most importantly, to destroy its vast missile arsenal, » Cotton said on « Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. »
Cotton said one risk of the non-ground war that the U.S. and Israel are waging is that an aircraft could be shot down, and « the president would never leave a pilot behind. »
« So, no doubt, we have combat search and rescue assets in the region that are prepared to go in and extract any type of downed pilot, » Cotton said. « But barring that kind of unusual circumstance, Margaret, the president has no plan for any kind of large-scale ground force inside of Iran. »
U.K. defense chief says Iranian missiles fired in « direction of Cyprus » in the Mediterranean
« We had two ballistic missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus, » John Healey told CBS News’ partner network BBC News, noting that British warplanes based in Cyprus, as well as in the Middle East were involved in « defensive » actions across the region.
« We are pretty sure they weren’t targeted at Cyprus, but nevertheless, it demonstrates how our bases, our personnel, military and civilians at the moment are at risk, » Healey told the BBC.
He did not say whether the Iranian missiles were intercepted, or if they just fell short of any intended targets.
Israel’s military says it’s « not aware » of any U.S. or Israeli strike hitting Iranian school
« At this point not aware of an Israeli or an American strike there … We’re operating in an extremely accurate manner, » Israel Defense Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters on Sunday.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. military’s Central Command, which is responsible for the Middle East, told CBS News on Saturday that CENTCOM was aware of the reports « concerning civilian harm from ongoing military operation » and was investigating the matter.
« The protection of civilians is of utmost importance, and we will continue to take all precautions available to minimize the risk of unintended harm, » Hawkins said. « Unlike Iran, we have never – and never will – target civilians. »
Pope Leo calls for an end to « spiral of violence » in Middle East
« Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I appeal to the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable chasm, » Leo, the Catholic Church’s first-ever leader from the United States, told a crowd of faithful in St. Peter’s Square.
Guglielmo Mangiapane/REUTERS
CBS/AFP
EU foreign policy chief voices hope for a new Iran, shaped by its people
« The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history. What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape, » Kallas said in a social media post, adding that she was in contact on behalf of the EU « with partners, including those in the region that bear the brunt of Iran’s military actions, to find practical steps for de-escalation. »
Her post was accompanied by a graphic indicating that she was in contact with foreign policy chiefs from Israel and at least six Arabic nations in the Middle East, in addition to Turkey and the Group of Seven bloc of the world’s biggest democracies.
U.S. moves government personnel from hotels in Bahrain’s capital amid Iranian strikes
« The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain is tracking confirmed reports the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama was struck on March 1, 2026, resulting in injuries, » the embassy said in a security alert shared Sunday on social media. « We advise U.S. citizens in Bahrain that hotels might be a target for future attacks, and encourage U.S. citizens to avoid hotels in Manama. »
North Korea calls U.S.-Israel assault on Iran an « illegal act of aggression »
The military campaigns against Iran by the two states « constitute a thoroughly illegal act of aggression and the most vile form of violation of sovereignty in their nature, » a spokesperson for the North’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Iran’s top religious authority issues « fatwa for jihad against America and Israel »
« The main perpetrators of this crime are America and the Zionist regime, and this revenge is a religious duty for all Muslims of the world to eliminate the scourge of these criminals from the world, » Tasnim quoted Shirazi as saying.
The Grand Ayatollah does not hold a leadership position in Iran’s theocratic government, but he is among the most senior Shiite Muslim religious authorities in the world.
Putin calls Khamenei killing « cynical violation » of « morality and international law »
In a letter to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, published by the Kremlin, Putin expressed « deepest condolences for the assassination » of Khamenei, saying the killing was « carried out in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law. »
Russia and China have continued to support Iran during decades of animosity between Western powers and Tehran, helping keep the Islamic Republic afloat economically — despite Russia’s own economic woes — amid a raft of economic sanctions.
CBS/AFP
Israeli military says half of Iran’s missile stockpiles destroyed
« During the operation, we destroyed approximately half of the Iranian regime’s missile stockpiles and prevented the production of at least 1,500 additional missiles, » military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised statement.
« The regime had recently been producing dozens of surface-to-surface missiles per month and intended to increase production to hundreds per month. »
Lebanon’s Hezbollah vows to « confront aggression » of U.S. and Israel
« We will undertake our duty of confronting the aggression » of the U.S. and Israel, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a statement, according to the French news agency AFP. Qassem said Hezbollah would not leave « the field of honor and resistance. »
Israel has hammered Hezbollah in Lebanon in recent years, killing multiple leaders of the group and diminishing its significant fire power.
The group has long been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., Israel and many other nations.
Iran names three men for interim Leadership Council to pick next supreme leader
Arafi was to join President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeibe on the temporary Leadership Council, ISNA said.
Iranian president threatens « blood and revenge » for killing of Khamenei
Iran’s interim government « considers blood and revenge against the perpetrators and leaders of this crime as the duty of its legitimate right, » Pezeshkian said in a statement shared online by Iranian state media.
« The assassination of the highest political authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the great Shiite world, » he said, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose funeral was being held Sunday in Tehran, « by the American-Zionist axis, is a declaration of open war with Muslims, especially Shiites in the world. »
He said Iran would « fulfill this great responsibility and duty » to retaliate against Israel and the U.S. « with all its might. »
People gather for funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khameni in Tehran
The funeral was to be held at the University of Tehran.
ATTA KENARE /AFP via Getty Images
Khamenei ruled over Iran from 1989 as the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic regime.
There were shouts of joy and celebrations in the streets of Tehran and other cities on Saturday when Israel and President Trump confirmed Khamenei had been killed in the U.S. and Israeli attacks. But there were also reports of protests in some parts of Iran on Sunday denouncing the war and calling for retribution.
Beleaguered Iranian regime announces plan for new leadership
Earlier, an Iranian official said a leadership council would handle the late ayatollah’s duties until a successor is formally announced.
« In accordance with the constitution, a leadership council will be established to assume the responsibilities of the Supreme Leader until a successor is elected, » the secretary of Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, said in a statement.
State news agency IRNA said that along with Pezeshkian, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and the head of Iran’s judiciary would be in charge until a new top leader is chosen.
Deep uncertainty, plenty of risk as Middle East enters second day of war
Elliot Ackerman, an American author, former member of the U.S. special forces and former CIA Special Activities Officer, said there were still significant risks, even with much of the brutal Iranian regime’s leadership killed in Saturday’s strikes.
« What we’ll potentially have is a power vacuum, » Ackerman said, as the remnants of the Iranian regime announced interim leadership. He said it was possible Iran’s long-stifled civil society would rise up and topple the Islamic Republic regime that has ruled over the country since the 1979 revolution.
But it was not « outside the realm of possibility » that hardline remnants of the regime could manage to maintain control over the country, which he said would be a disaster for the region.
Rep. Rick Crawford, chair of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, told CBS News on Sunday that the U.S. and Israeli strikes would likely continue in the coming days, particularly aimed at taking out remaining missile launch capabilities in southern Iran.
« It’s gonna take a little bit of patience, » Crawford said, but he said the « conditions on the ground are ripe for regime change, and we pray for the Iranian people » to seize what he said was the opportunity presented by the war to overthrow their government.
After celebrations in Iran, anti-U.S. protests erupt in several locations
Similar protests erupted in Tehran on Sunday and in the central city of Yazd, Iranian media said.
There were also angry demonstrations in other countries, with hundreds of protesters trying to storm the heavily fortified Green Zone in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, where the U.S. embassy is located.
In Karachi, Pakistan, security forces killed eight people as hundreds of protesters tried to storm the U.S. consulate in the massive city, according to local emergency services.
And in Indian-administered Kashmir, the French news agency AFP said several thousand people demonstrated and chanted anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans on Sunday.
The U.S. Embassy in Oman’s capital Muscat, meanwhile, warned staff and other Americans in the city to shelter in place due to unspecified « ongoing activity outside of Muscat. »
Israel hitting « heart of Tehran » for first time since strikes began, IDF says
« The Air Force, guided by Military Intelligence, has now launched a broad wave of strikes toward targets of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran, » the IDF said.
« Over the past day, the Air Force conducted extensive strikes to achieve air superiority and open the path to Tehran, » the IDF added.
Iran claims new round of strikes targeting U.S. bases in Mideast
« A few minutes ago, pilots of the air forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran successfully bombed U.S. bases in the countries of the Persian Gulf and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq over several phases of operations, » state TV cited the Iranian army as saying.
Iran has fired volleys of missiles and drones at American bases since the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes began on Saturday, as well as at Israel and other nations in the Middle East where the U.S. has bases. Civilian infrastructure in several nations was also hit.
At Russia’s request, IAEA to hold special meeting Monday on Iran situation
The meeting is at the request of Russia regarding « military strikes of the United States and Israel against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, » the agency said in a statement late Saturday.
Russia is a major ally of Iran.
Last week, Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, said most of Iran’s nuclear materials were « still there, in large quantities » despite the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June of 2025.
Trump threatens more intense U.S. strikes if Iran hits « very hard today »
In response, he wrote, « THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! »
Mr. Trump had earlier said that « heavy and pinpoint bombing » of Iran would « continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary. »
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday, « You have crossed our red line and must pay the price. We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg, » according to The Associated Press.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said Sunday said that it would launch « the most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Iranian armed forces » targeting U.S. military bases and Israel.
Satellite images show Iran supreme leader compound heavily damaged
Pleiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026
One image shows black smoke rising from the palace, which appears to have been reduced to a pile of rubble.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel struck the compound early Saturday. He later said there were « growing signs » that Khamenei had been killed in the strike.
The Israeli military also said Saturday that it had killed much of Iran’s leadership, including Secretary of the Iranian Security Council Ali Shamkhani and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
CBS/AP




