Image source, Reuters

Following the announcement by the US military of three service members killed in action during the operation against Iran, President Donald Trump says, "We expect casualties with something like this", according to NBC News.

"We have three, but we expect casualties - but in the end it’s going to be a great deal for the world."

The three US deaths are the first known American fatalities since the US began striking Iran on Saturday. Five others have been "seriously wounded", the US military says. Others faced minor injuries and are returning to duty.

Asked what outcome he would like to see, Trump reportedly added: "There are many outcomes that are good.

"Number one is decapitating [Iranian leadership], getting rid of their whole group of killers and thugs. And there are many, many outcomes. We could do the short version or the longer version."

Trump told the outlet said Iranian officials were interested in continuing talks with the US, but declined to say whether the US would pause strikes for this.

“I don't know... if they can satisfy us." he said, according to NBC.

Image source, Reuters

In a special edition of the BBC’s Global News Podcast, our Persian service takes a look at how the Iranian people view the strikes on their country.

We also have a report from Israel, where there's been a barrage of Iranian missiles.

And we ask how President Trump's decision to attack Tehran has been received at home — and whether it was legal under international law.

You can listen now on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

A Royal Air Force (RAF) typhoon has successfully taken out an Iranian drone heading towards Qatari territory, a spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence says.

"The Typhoon jet was conducting a defensive air patrol and used an air‑to‑air missile to shoot down the drone, ensuring the security of Qatar’s airspace and British interests in the region," the statement says.

In an update on its Telegram channel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it "dismantled the Iranian Combat Headquarters" where it says Iranian regime operatives were present.

The Israeli military says that command centres including headquarters belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), intelligence headquarters, IRGC Air Force command centres and internal security headquarters were were struck in "a large scale wave of strikes".

The IDF says it will " continue to target the military infrastructure and operatives of the Iranian terror regime wherever they operate".

United States Central Command (Centcom) says US bombers struck Iranian ballistic missile facilities last night.

The announcement on social media says the planes were "B-2 stealth bombers armed with 2,000 pound bombs."

Last summer, the US also used B-2 bombers to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

BBC Monitoring

Iran's state broadcaster says parts of its headquarters have been struck by what it called the "American‑Zionist enemy".

In a live announcement on the rolling news channel IRINN at 20:53 local time (17:24) on 1 March, a female presenter said that "a few moments ago", parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) complex had come under attack.

"Currently, broadcasting by the Voice and Vision [IRIB] continues as normal, and our technical colleagues are assessing any possible damage," she added.

Earlier in the day, rumours had circulated on social media claiming that IRIB had been hit, though these were later denied, external.

The broadcaster was previously struck during the Iran-Israel war in June 2025. At the time, during a live IRINN bulletin, presenter Sahar Emami was heard exclaiming "God is great" as explosions rang out, before a second blast and the partial collapse of the studio ceiling forced her to flee the set.

Farshad Bayan
BBC Persian

Internet access in Iran has once again been severely restricted, hours after the start of large-scale US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on Saturday.

Data from Kentik, a company that monitors global internet traffic, indicates a sharp drop in connectivity across Iran following the attacks. The firm estimates that roughly 99% of the country’s access to the global internet has been cut. This is reflected on social media, where only a limited number of accounts – mostly belonging to Iranian officials or other trusted individuals – appear to remain active.

Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik, said internet traffic volumes fell at 07:06 GMT and again at 11:47 GMT on Saturday, leaving only minimal connectivity in place.

Reports suggest that access to domestic websites and services, such as internal messaging platforms, remains available, raising the possibility that internal networks are still functioning despite the near-total disruption of international connections.

Iran has previously imposed sweeping internet shutdowns during periods of unrest in January 2026. Following the recent protests, internet access was completely cut off nationwide. When global connectivity was later restored, traffic levels returned to only about 60% of their pre-shutdown levels.

In the last 24 hours, some users have been able to use VPNs to connect to the outside world, as a small fraction of international access still persists. This minimal data transmission has allowed some users to route traffic through VPNs.

How will the next supreme leader be selected?published at 18:19 GMT 1 March

18:19 GMT 1 March

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

The second transfer of power since Iran’s revolution of 1979 is now underway.

There’s a complex but clear process to select a successor to a supreme leader who is also the commander-in-chief.

In line with the constitution, a three-member interim leadership council is now in charge. It includes the current reformist president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the hardline head of the judiciary, Mohseni Ejehei, and a senior jurist, Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi.

They will rule until the body tasked with selecting the top cleric, the Assembly of Experts, completes its work – they can choose an individual or a leadership council.

It would seem risky for some 88 elderly clerics to gather when Iran is under attack. But Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has said the choice could be made “within a day or two".

It’s an opaque process too. And this time, Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp are certain to weigh in.

Their main role is to protect and preserve the Islamic Republic – and it’s now facing its greatest external and internal threats.

Image source, Reuters

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells ABC News that although Iran has "lost some commanders... nothing has changed in our military capability".

"This is exactly what happened last time," he says, referring to Israeli and US strikes in June last year.

"They killed some of our top commanders but they were replaced very soon and in less than 12 hours, we were able to start retaliation," he says. "This time, it was even faster."

• For context: A number of senior figures in the Iranian regime were killed in Saturday's strikes, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpour and security adviser Ali Shamkhani

Asked whether it was still possible to achieve a negotiated agreement with the US, Araghchi says: "You answer this question."

He says Iranian and US delegations had undergone "very good talks in Geneva" last Thursday, with a meeting in Vienna then expected to take place on Monday. But "those who are against peace... decided to spoil it," he says.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says three oil tankers from the US and UK have been "struck by missiles and are burning", according to state media outlet IRNA.

The US and the UK have not confirmed these reports.

UK Maritime Trade Operations says in its daily summary, published at 17:22 GMT, that "multiple maritime security incidents were reported" in the area. It says two vessels were hit by "an unknown projectile", which caused fires. It's not clear where these ships are from or where they're registered.

The tankers were struck in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which is now closed. The Strait is seen as one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes and a key chokepoint for oil transit.

Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent

An RAF Typhoon jet operating out of Qatar has shot down an Iranian drone.

This is the first time a UK jet has shot down a drone since the US and Israel began their strikes on Iran.

The RAF deployed a squadron of Typhoons to Qatar earlier this year as tensions in the region increased.

The defence secretary has made clear that the UK military's enhanced presence in the region is to defend UK forces and interests, and that the UK is not participating in the US-led strikes.

RAF jets have been flying defensive patrols out of Qatar and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus since the US and Israel launched their military strikes.

US President Donald Trump has just posted on Truth Social, saying the US has "destroyed and sunk" nine Iranian naval ships.

Here's his statement in full:

I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important. We are going after the rest — They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also! In a different attack, we largely destroyed their Naval Headquarters. Other than that, their Navy is doing very well! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP

Joe Pike
Politics investigations correspondent

British government officials are understood to be formulating plans to potentially evacuate UK nationals from the Middle East.

This is unlikely to be imminent because airspace in the region remains closed.

British nationals transiting through Dubai and Doha are being advised to remain indoors in a secure location and avoid travelling outside if possible.

Some 76,000 British nationals in the Middle East have signed up to the UK government's "register your presence" scheme.

Most of them are understood to be holidaymakers in the United Arab Emirates or those in transit at the UAE's major hub airports.

The "register your presence" scheme allows British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to get direct updates from the Foreign Office.

This is the first time the crisis response programme has covered more than one country.

Image source, White House

In the last few hours, US President Donald Trump has given an update on the ongoing military operation in Iran as he spoke to a number of US media outlets by phone.

Here is a round up of what he has been saying:

• Trump tells Fox News that "48 [Iranian] leaders are gone in one shot" and that the operation in Iran is "moving along rapidly"
• In a separate interview with CNBC, he says the US campaign was "moving along very well — ahead of schedule.” He adds: “We’re doing our job not just for us but for the world"
• Speaking to MS NOW, President Trump says he had seen celebrations in the US by the Iranian diaspora following the killing of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
• "I think it's fantastic," he tells the cable news channel referring in particular to jubilant scenes in Los Angeles, home to a large Iranian diaspora
• The president tells The Atlantic that the current Iranian leaders have signalled a willingness to restart negotiations that were abandoned late last week
• “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them," he says. "They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

People across the Middle East feel on edge amid the ongoing strikes.

Friends in Jordan have sent me videos of their windows and doors rattling as they shelter inside with the thuds of missile interceptions overhead.

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate says that since Saturday morning it has dealt with 101 reports of falling objects and shrapnel across the country with no injuries reported.

“It’s unsettling as we don’t know what’s happening. We’re just in the middle of everything,” says Fadia in Amman. “Economically it’s going to affect us in the long term and with tourism, but as we speak, it’s affecting us. Hopefully they can find a deal without more escalation.”

Jordan is a key partner of the US. Washington reportedly sent dozens of military aircraft, including advanced stealth jets, to its Muwaffaq Salti Airbase ahead of the attacks on Iran.

“The situation is very difficult for the entire region,” says Sameer Fakhouri, who sees a lasting impact on international alliances and worries about trade. “Continuing negotiations would have been preferable. Instead, no one can know what the outcome of this war will be.”

Image source, Getty Images

Casualties are mounting as US and Israeli forces trade strikes with Iran for the second day. Here's the latest on this rapidly unfolding situation:

• United States Central Command (Centcom) says three American service members have been killed and five seriously wounded in action
• Iranian state media reports that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claims to have attacked the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier with four ballistic missiles, but Centcom says Tehran's missiles "did not even come close"
• The IDF accuses Iran of "killing innocent civilians" after nine people died in a missile strike on the city of Beit Shemesh - our Middle East correspondent describes it as the deadliest attack in Israel so far in this conflict
• An Iranian official says 153 people have died after a girls’ school in Minab was hit in yesterday's strikes, but an IDF spokesperson says he is "not aware" of any operation in the area
• As the conflict spreads regionally, the United Arab Emirates says three people have been killed by Iranian attacks since yesterday, with the Ministry of Defence saying separately that a naval base came under drone attack
• Following the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tells Al Jazeera a new leader may be selected in "a day or two", as the regime announces an interim leadership committee

Image source, EPA

Former CIA director David Petraeus tells BBC News that the operation in Iran was an "extraordinary intelligence success" but he adds that "we don't know what will follow".

He notes that while Tehran earlier announced an interim leadership, we have "heard nothing from them", adding that he's "confident" they are not using mobile phones because of the electronic signature.

Asked about Khamenei's successor, Petraeus says "one generally thinks the Assembly of Experts will select someone who is another hardline clerical ideologue". But, within the regime, there are also people "who are much more pragmatic", he says.

• For context: The Assembly of Experts is a constitutional body consisting of 88 members, responsible for both the election and supervision of the supreme leader

On whether the Iranian regime can be overthrown without ground force, Petraeus says it "depends on who emerges". But he is "quite confident" that Donald Trump "does not want to do that".

All crossings point in Gaza remain shut as Iran-Israel strikes continuepublished at 16:12 GMT 1 March

16:12 GMT 1 March

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Israeli and US strikes on Iran have been having an impact on the devastated Gaza Strip.

All crossing points into Gaza – essential for aid deliveries and patients travelling for medical treatment – remain closed, the Israeli defence body, Cogat, confirms. It cites the need for “security adjustments".

“I couldn’t believe that my travel date would finally arrive, only to find out that the crossing is closed,” says Abed Nasser, a Gazan who was due to exit for surgery via the recently reopened Rafah crossing with Egypt, after he was wounded two years ago in the war.

He adds: “We’re afraid that the crossing will stay closed, and they will forget us.”

Gazans say that some food prices have quickly doubled in local markets as people panic buy.

The UN said last week that it continued to face impediments in getting lifesaving aid into Gaza, adding that food rations were cut by half in February “largely because there are not enough supplies.”

Announcing the latest closure on X, Cogat anticipated “no impact on the humanitarian situation,” and said that “the existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period.”

Image source, GPO

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says he's "given instructions for the continuation of the campaign" against Iran during a meeting with his defence minister, chief of staff, and the head of the Mossad security service.

Speaking from the roof of the IDF Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu says: "Our forces are now striking the heart of Tehran with increasing strength, and this will only increase even more in the coming days.

"However, these are painful days. Yesterday here, in Tel Aviv, and now in Beit Shemesh, we lost dear people. My heart goes out to the families, and on behalf of all of you, the citizens of Israel, I send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded."

He says Israel is bringing the "entire strength of the IDF" in a campaign to "ensure our existence and our future".

Ghoncheh Habibiazad and Sarah Jalali
BBC Persian and BBC Monitoring

Image source, Getty Images

The former crown prince and son of the last Shah of Iran, who was ousted by the Islamic Republic in 1979, writes on X that the death of Iran’s supreme leader is not “the end” while calling on Iranians to "overthrow" the Islamic Republic.

He says the people must prepare for "widespread and decisive presence in the streets” and asks them to chant from their houses at night.

Pahlavi previously called on Iranian officials to “surrender” and on military and law enforcement bodies to use their weapons to "defend the great nation of Iran" and not the "republic of crime" to end the "nightmare" more quickly.

During the recent anti-government protests in Iran, Pahlavi emerged as a prominent opposition figure, with demonstrators in some locations chanting his name.