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Iran names Ayatollah Khamenei’s son as new leader after father’s killing

Iran names Ayatollah Khamenei’s son as new leader after father’s killing
By Zaid Sabah, Virginia Pietromarchi, Stephen Quillen, Alma Milisic, Caolán Magee, Umut Uras and Edna Mohamed
Published On 9 Mar 2026

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9 Mar 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

It’s a wrap from us

Thanks for joining us.

We’ll be continuing our live coverage of the US-Israel war with Iran here.

You can also stay up to date with our latest explainers and originals on the conflict here.

9 Mar 2026 - 23:40
 (23:40 GMT)
Developing

Nations, including China and Russia, contact Iran over a ceasefire

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Tehran’s first condition for a ceasefire is that “no further aggression be launched”, as world leaders increase efforts to end the conflict diplomatically.

Gharibabadi added that several countries – including China, Russia and France – have contacted Iran regarding efforts towards a cessation of hostilities.

9 Mar 2026 - 23:35
 (23:35 GMT)

‘Clear military objectives, unclear political objectives’: Analyst

US President Donald Trump suggested, while speaking in Florida, that the US and Israel had, for the moment, left some potentially major targets in Iran untouched, including electricity stations.

But Harrison, the senior fellow at the Middle East Institute who has been speaking with Al Jazeera, said that the comments underscored confusion over the “political objectives” of the war.

He referred to Trump claiming that the US wanted to create conditions for the Iranian people to take over their government. But if the US attacked facilities like electricity stations, Harrison said, it could not reasonably expect support from everyday Iranians.

“The Trump administration has clear military objectives, but unclear political objectives,” he said.

9 Mar 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)
Analysis

Iran seeks to prolong the war as long as possible

Ross Harrison, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, says the Iranian government seeks to cause as much damage to the other warring powers.

Harrison stressed that, from the Iranian perspective, the war should be prolonged for as long as possible.

“[The end of the war] would just be basically exploited and perceived as weakness by Americans and Israelis, and that would invite further aggression,” Harrison told Al Jazeera.

9 Mar 2026 - 23:20
 (23:20 GMT)

Iran condemns US’s ‘energy dominance’ strategy

Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, issued a sharp rebuke of US policy, saying that a White House-endorsed report has unmasked the true economic motives behind the recent military escalation.

Responding to a social media post by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt – which featured a Fox News article titled “Operation Epic Fury proves it is both America First and proudly MAGA” – Baghaei said the primary objective of “US and Israeli aggression” is the seizure of Iran’s oil reserves.

He said the Trump administration has framed Iran’s energy resources as the “final piece of the puzzle” in a broader strategy to dominate global energy supplies.

Tehran’s resistance serves the broader interests of the global community and the “Global South”, he added.

“Iran has not merely defended itself against this brutal war of aggression, it has defended the very principles of sovereignty and self-determination,” Baghaei said.

“Bullying power politics” have created a global crisis that should alarm anyone concerned with independence and international norms, he said.

9 Mar 2026 - 23:10
 (23:10 GMT)

Iran shaken by ‘most intense’ night of air bombardment

By Mohammed Vall

Reporting from Tehran

We can say this is by far one of the most heavily intense nights in Tehran in terms of air bombardment.

Over the last couple of hours, there have been a series of explosions – you can’t even count them – huge explosions that rocked even the windows of our office here.

We have also news that there are equally large explosions in Karag, north of Tehran. As we always say, we don’t have the details, we don’t have the information, the government keeps that information until they decide how to release it and how much of it to be released.

I don’t know if any cameras here in the office have been able to capture both explosions, because we didn’t see them directly from our windows.

Also, the air defence systems have been very active tonight around Tehran. That’s not a scene we see every night, but we have seen it tonight – flashes in the air, particularly in the east of Tehran.

There has been very intense bombardment in Isfahan that targeted the governor’s office there, also targeted an ancient royal palace that is registered as a UNESCO heritage site.

In Tabriz, news of blasts, in Karag, too, and in Isfahan. Some report that the blasts in Isfahan were close to nuclear sites there. The IAEA is saying that most of the stocks of the enriched uranium in Iran are stored in Isfahan underground, but we don’t have anything to verify that.

Tehran is the centre of the bombardment today – east, west and south, during the day and over the night.

On the other hand, the defiance is continuing on the part of the army and the Revolutionary Guard. They have launched the 33rd wave of the promised operation, and they have said in a statement that starting from now, they will not launch any missile that is lighter than 1,000kg (2,200lbs).

Some of these missiles have been launched against Israel, according to the information we have from the Revolutionary Guard, and they are talking about heavier and heavier missiles being launched on targets across the region.

9 Mar 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)

Saudi Arabia, France discuss regional developments, condemn attacks on kingdom

Saudi Arabian Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman says he spoke to the French minister for armed forces and veterans, Catherine Vautrin, and condemned Iranian attacks on the kingdom.

Salman said the two also discussed regional developments and the “repercussions that the ongoing escalation pose to security and stability in the region”.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:55
 (22:55 GMT)

Rubio urges Iraq to protect US Embassy after Iran protests

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Iraq’s leadership to ensure the continued protection of the US Embassy in Baghdad following a wave of angry protests.

In a call with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Rubio “reiterated the importance of the Iraqi government taking all possible measures to safeguard US diplomatic personnel and facilities”, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:50
 (22:50 GMT)
Houthi

‘We’re getting very close to finishing’

Trump says the US is putting an end to the threat to vessels in the Strait of Hormuz from Iran and its proxies, and the result will be “lower oil prices”.

“This was just an excursion into something that had to be done. We’re getting very close to finishing that [the war],” he said.

“The United States is offering political risk insurance to tankers operating in the Gulf… We’ll perhaps go alongside them for protection,” Trump said, adding that if Iran attacks vessels with US protection, the results will be “incalculable”.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:49
 (22:49 GMT)
Houthi

Bahrain reports casualty in Iranian attack on Manama residential building

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has reported that, in a preliminary count, one person has died and others have been injured following a “blatant” Iranian attack that targeted a residential building in the capital, Manama.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)
Houthi

UAE says consulate in Iraq’s Kurdish region attacked by drone

The UAE says its consulate general in Iraq’s Kurdish region has been targeted in a drone attack, leaving damage but no casualties.

A Foreign Ministry statement on X said the attack “represents a dangerous escalation and a threat to regional security and stability”.

“Targeting diplomatic missions and premises constitutes a flagrant violation of all international norms and laws,” it said.

The statement did not say where the drone had been launched from, and called on local authorities to “investigate the circumstances of this attack to identify those responsible”.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)
Houthi

Trump claims Iran’s neighbours have ‘come to our side’

Trump has reiterated that he had thought Iran was going to attack the US first, adding that instead, Tehran did something “very foolish, very stupid, I would say – they attacked their neighbours”.

“Their neighbours, I would say, were largely neutral, or at least weren’t going to be involved, and they got attacked, and it had the reverse effect. The neighbours came onto our side and started attacking them, and actually quite successfully,” he said.

“If you look at Saudi Arabia, if you look at [the] UAE, Qatar and others… they were strong, and they were smart, but they got attacked.”

9 Mar 2026 - 22:40
 (22:40 GMT)

Australia to send aircraft, missiles to UAE

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will deploy a military surveillance aircraft to the Middle East following a request from the UAE, and will send medium-range air-to-air missiles to help protect civilians.

Albanese said his government would not deploy Australian troops on the ground in Iran.

He said Australia’s military support would help the Gulf nations to defend themselves against what he called unprovoked attacks from Iran.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:32
 (22:32 GMT)
Developing

Trump ‘disappointed’ Mojtaba Khamenei is Iran’s new supreme leader

Trump says ⁠he is “disappointed” that ⁠Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the supreme leader of the country.

“We ⁠think it’s going ⁠to lead to just more ⁠of the same problem ⁠for ⁠the country,” Trump told reporters at ‌a news conference in Florida.

When asked ⁠whether the new ⁠leader had a target on his back, Trump said it ‌would be “inappropriate” to say. Israel has said it will attempt to assassinate any new Iranian leader chosen to replace Ayatollah Khamenei.

Trump earlier declined to provide details about his plans for dealing with Mojtaba Khamenei. “Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him,” he said.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:27
 (22:27 GMT)
Houthi

Without Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran would have nuclear weapons: Trump

“We’re ahead of our initial timeline by a lot. I would say we probably would not have thought [that] after a month, we would be here, in addition to the fact that we’ve taken out the leadership, twice, and maybe three times,” Trump said.

“The Iranian regime has been attacking Americans and spreading terror for 47 years, and despite these countless opportunities to renounce their nuclear ambitions,” he added.

The president went on to say that if the US had not launched Operation Midnight Hammer in June, and “knock out the Iranian potential”, Iran would have a nuclear weapon.

“They would’ve used it long before now, and at a minimum, Israel would have been annihilated,” he added.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:17
 (22:17 GMT)
Houthi

Trump says Iranian drone, missile production facilities targeted

We have more from Trump:

“We continue to target Iran’s drone and missile capabilities; their drones are way down. Their drone manufacturing has been hit. Starting today, we know all of the places they manufacture drones, and they’re being hit one after the other,” he said.

“Their missile capability is down to about 10 percent, maybe less. We’re also hitting where they make missiles and where they deliver missiles.

“We’ve struck over 5,000 targets today, some of them very major targets, and we’ve left some of the most important targets for later in case we need to do it,” Trump said, adding that other targets could include electricity facilities.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:13
 (22:13 GMT)
Houthi

‘Major strides towards completing our military objectives’: Trump

Trump says that over the past nine days, the US and Israel have carried out “some of the most powerful complex military strikes and manoeuvres the world has ever seen”.

“We’re achieving major strides towards completing our military objectives, and some people can say they’re pretty well complete. We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out, very completely,” Trump told a news conference in Doral, Florida.

“Most of Iran’s naval power has been sunk; it’s at the bottom of the sea,” he said.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:11
 (22:11 GMT)
Houthi

‘It’ll be over very soon’: Trump on Iran war

US President Donald Trump has said that he expects the war on Iran to be over “very soon”.

Asked by a reporter whether he expected the war to be over this week, Trump, speaking in Doral, Florida, said: “No, but soon. I think very soon.”

9 Mar 2026 - 22:10
 (22:10 GMT)

Saudi Arabia expresses condolences over Kuwaiti, Emirati deaths

Saudi Arabia has offered its “deepest condolences and sincere sympathies” to Kuwait and the UAE over the deaths of their troops and security personnel in Iranian attacks.

“The ministry also affirms the Kingdom’s solidarity with the State of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in this tragedy, and its readiness to place all its capabilities to support any measures it may undertake, while wishing the injured a swift and full recovery,” the ministry said in a statement.

9 Mar 2026 - 22:05
 (22:05 GMT)

Bahrain king, Pakistan army chief discuss escalating tensions

Bahrain’s king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir have discussed the escalating Middle East crisis during a phone call.

Munir affirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with Bahrain, condemned the recent missile and drone attacks on the Gulf nation and pledged Pakistan’s full support.

Bahrain’s king expressed his commitment to “a strategic approach rooted in wisdom, moderation, and the promotion of international cooperation”.