US President Donald Trump has once again threatened Iran, claiming that the country’s next supreme leader “is not going to last long” if Tehran does not get his approval first to replace the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
”He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump told ABC News. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.”
Trump’s comments came as the Iranian clerical body responsible for choosing the successor to Khamenei was reported to have voted and would soon announce a name.
Several members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for selecting the country’s next supreme leader, have said they have reached a decision but did not disclose the chosen candidate.
As of Sunday, the US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians, the Islamic Republic’s official data shows.
The Iranian Red Crescent has warned of possible acid rain after the US struck oil storage facilities in the city. It added that the explosions could release toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides that could make rainfall highly acidic and dangerous.
US President Donald Trump said he does not want armed Kurdish groups to join the war against Iran, following reports suggesting that the CIA was working with Kurdish forces in Iraq. Sergey Poletaev, an information analyst and co-founder of the Vatfor project, said Washington could face a dilemma if air power fails in Iran, potentially forcing it to rely on allied ground forces.
Trump denied responsibility for the strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran on February 28 that killed at least 175 people, most of them children, suggesting instead that the Iranians were to blame and that their munitions are “very inaccurate.”
At least two people were killed in a strike on the Ramada Hotel in central Beirut, Reuters reported Sunday, citing a security source. Lebanese media outlets blamed Israel for the attack.
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08 March 2026
17:17 GMT
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said Israeli strikes in Iran have targeted “local fuel depots,” not energy infrastructure. He also claimed that Washington has no plans to strike Iran’s oil or natural gas industry.
Earlier today the Iranian Red Crescent warned of possible acid rain after the US struck oil storage facilities in the city. It added the explosions could release toxic hydrocarbons, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides that could make rainfall highly acidic and dangerous.
16:34 GMT
The US-Israeli war against Iran, Tehran’s retaliatory strikes and the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz could trigger multiple simultaneous crises, Iraq’s foreign minister has cautioned.
Fuad Hussein told his Arab League counterparts during their meeting today that the waterway’s closure has a “direct impact on the interests of Iraq, the region, and the world.”
Other repercussions could include “crises in energy supplies and prices, widespread armed chaos in the region, and mass displacement or migration,” he warned.
As we reported earlier, Iraq’s oil production from its main fields has plummeted by about 70% in recent days as it remains unable to export crude through the Strait.
16:21 GMT
Trump has once again threatened Iran, claiming that the country’s next supreme leader “is not going to last long” if Tehran does not get his approval first to replace the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
”He’s going to have to get approval from us,” Trump told ABC News. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long.”
Trump’s comments came as the Iranian clerical body responsible for choosing the successor to Khamenei was reported to have voted and would soon announce a name.
16:04 GMT
An Iranian military source told RT that Tehran is preparing to “surprise” US President Donald Trump with several major developments on Monday. The source said Trump’s threats to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and intensify strikes on Tehran appear aimed at stabilizing markets and preventing oil prices from surging. Iran is also expected to expand defensive measures, the source said, warning that the coming days could become more difficult for both the US and Israel.
15:56 GMT
RT reporter Charlotte Dubenskij has captured a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker on video flying over Tel Aviv. The KC-135 is the primary aerial refueling aircraft of the US Air Force.
The IDF said Iran launched a new barrage of missiles toward Israel on Sunday afternoon, prompting the activation of air defense systems. Sirens sounded across central areas, including Tel Aviv and parts of Jerusalem. RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij reported from a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv.
The US Central Command issued a safety warning to civilians in Iran on Sunday, accusing the country of endangering innocent people. EditDelete
Facilities used for military purposes have no protected status under international law and constitute legitimate targets, the statement said. CENTCOM added that while the US military takes steps to minimize civilian harm, it cannot guarantee safety near sites the Iranian government uses for military operations, including places where drones and ballistic missiles are launched.
14:31 GMT
RT’s Steve Sweeney reports from southern Lebanon as Israeli forces expand operations in the south and east of the country, where air and ground strikes took the lives of dozens of people over the weekend.
14:30 GMT
RT Tehran bureau chief Hami Hamedi filmed the aftermath of US-Israeli strikes on the Shahran oil depot, where at least one storage tank was still burning as thick smoke billowed into the sky.
The footage shows gutted vehicles scattered across the site, while a dense layer of pollution hangs just five to six meters above ground, darkening the air around the facility. Strikes on fuel depots in Tehran have triggered large fires and thick smoke clouds over the capital.
14:17 GMTREAD MORE: The Iran war risks sucking in more countries – who benefits?
Iran is levying 60% of its missile and drone strikes against US bases and “strategic interests” in the region, with the remaining 40% aimed at Israeli targets, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naeini has said.
Iran will increase the intensity of its attacks starting this evening, Fars news agency reported on Sunday, adding that IRGC drone operations will rise by about 20%, while the use of super-heavy strategic missiles will double.
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05 March 2026
06:44 GMT
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has condemned the US and Israel for failing to consult Ottawa before the bombing of Iran.
He said the current conflict reflects “the failure of the international order,” stressing that “the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the UN or consulting with allies, including Canada.”
07:01 GMT
“Two main narratives have emerged among people in Tehran during the first six days of the war,” Hami Hamedi, RT’s Iran bureau chief, said, explaining that some residents are demanding stronger retaliation against the United States and Israel, including continued missile strikes, while a larger group appears exhausted by the conflict and wants it to end so life can return to normal. Despite these differences, he said both sides share one position – they strongly oppose “the disintegration of Iran” and reject any form of separatism.
RT crew captures the aftermath of a strike on an Iranian intelligence building near Hemmat Highway in Tehran, filmed on the way to the Broujerdi residential complex. Smoke and damage are visible at the site.
07:20 GMT
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has insisted that his country didn’t push the United States into the war with Iran, saying in a CBS News interview that “Israel does not dictate to President Trump anything, and Israel does not drag America into a war, God forbid.”
Herzog claimed the decision for the US to join the strikes was made independently by Trump, calling it a result of Washington’s own “clear considerations and professional decision-making process.” He also stressed that Israel was not asking for American troops, adding: “I’m not calling on any boots on the ground. I’m not asking any American or anyone else.”
Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, offered differing explanations for the US entry into the Iran war, with Trump saying he acted because Tehran was preparing to strike first, while Rubio said Washington moved pre-emptively ahead of expected Iranian retaliation to Israeli action.
07:27 GMT
RT journalist Ali Rida has evacuated along with local residents in Beirut as Israeli strikes intensified, reporting that “another evacuation order” had been issued and that “everyone is driving away from the area.”
07:43 GMT
Iran has not sent or received any messages from the US since the start of the conflict, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi has said in an interview with MSNBC, dismissing speculation about back-channel contacts between the two sides.
Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran is focused solely on defending itself, adding that the war had been “imposed” on Iran and rejecting claims it could be ended quickly.
“They thought they could end the war in a few days, but they were gravely mistaken,” he said. The diplomat accused the US and Israel of targeting civilians, including school children, as well as hospitals and relief forces, and insisted Iran’s actions constitute “legitimate defense.”
07:51 GMT
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told Israel to “keep going until the end – we’re with you” during talks late Wednesday evening with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to a statement from Israel’s Defense Ministry. He did not elaborate on what exactly that “end” might be.
07:53 GMT
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has backed US Senator Bernie Sanders’ claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dominates American foreign policy, writing on X that the senator’s assessment was “sadly true.”
08:06 GMT
“Even the leftist-liberal UK’s The Economist is now on board with a $100-a-barrel oil price,” Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian presidential envoy and head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, wrote on X, citing the magazine’s warning that brief disruptions could push Brent oil toward $100, while months of conflict could drive prices even higher.
Brent crude was trading around $83-84 per barrel on Thursday, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) hovered near $76-77, both rising several percent on the day as traders price in the risk of supply disruptions across the region and potential threats to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
08:33 GMT
Italy plans to send air defense assistance to the Gulf countries amid Iranian strikes, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday, adding that Rome would join the United Kingdom, France and Germany in providing support.
Speaking to RTL 102.5 radio, Meloni said the aid would focus “specifically in the field of defense and in particular air defense,” adding the move was aimed at protecting tens of thousands of Italians living in the region and around 2,000 Italian troops deployed there.
08:37 GMT
Israel has intensified its strikes in Lebanon, which the IDF says are targeting Hezbollah positions, and six people have been killed in attacks on villages in the country’s south, the state-run National News Agency has reported. Two children and their parents died as a result of a strike on a village near Kfar Tebnit, while a separate attack in the Nabatieh area killed a village mayor and his wife, according to the report.
