The conflict between Iran and the joint front of Israel and the United States widened further on the fifth day, showing no signs of an immediate pause.
Israel carried out fresh airstrikes on Iranian missile launchers and a nuclear research facility, while Tehran retaliated with attacks on Israeli targets and across the Gulf region. Iranian strikes hit US-linked sites, including a drone attack that slammed into a parking area outside the US consulate in Dubai, causing a small fire, while ballistic missiles struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts American forces. The escalation has also disrupted energy supplies and air travel across parts of the region.
Amid the intensifying war, Iran International reported that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been selected as Iran’s new supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts. US President Donald Trump said that “someone from within” Iran’s ruling system may be best placed to take charge once the US-Israel campaign ends. His remarks came as reports said nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran since the fighting began.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces have struck more than 1,700 targets in Iran since Saturday, including naval vessels, submarines, anti-ship missile sites and command-and-control centres. Several senior Iranian leaders were killed in the opening phase of the conflict, prompting Tehran’s wide-ranging retaliation against US bases and Israeli assets across the region.