Donald Trump said on Sunday he was ready to speak with the remnants of Iran’s leadership after the country’s supreme leader was killed in US‑Israeli air strikes intended to topple the regime.
Trump made the remarks as a second day of heavy bombing of Iranian cities continued and Tehran’s missile retaliations sent shockwaves through the region and the world economy.
Brent crude rose 10 % to $80 a barrel, with analysts warning that the ongoing conflict could push prices toward $100 after attacks on two vessels severely restricted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Amir‑Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, told an emergency Security Council meeting on Saturday that hundreds of civilians had been killed or wounded in the US‑Israeli strikes, saying the attacks deliberately hit residential neighborhoods in several cities.
The casualty count is expected to rise after another day of bombing. Iranian state media reported that 165 people were confirmed dead in a bomb blast at a girls’ primary school in the southern city of Minab on Saturday.
Among those killed was supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989 and was the primary target of an Israeli strike on Saturday morning. Several US reports said the CIA had been monitoring Khamenei for months. The New York Times reported that the CIA warned Israel when the leader convened a meeting of senior defence officials at his Tehran compound, prompting the strike.
Israel’s Channel 12 said the Israeli army used a deception to catch the Iranian leadership off guard. On the morning of the operation, officers were instructed not to park their cars in usual spots to avoid detection by Iranian intelligence. Misinformation was also released suggesting chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir had stayed home.
The channel cited officials who claimed the Israeli air force eliminated 30 senior Iranian officials within the first half‑minute of the attack.
Trump told Fox News that 48 Iranian leaders had been killed in the first two days of bombing and posted on social media that nine Iranian warships had been sunk and the naval headquarters destroyed.
Nine Israelis have died in Iranian missile counter‑strikes, and US forces reported their first war casualties: three dead and five injured by shrapnel. The official statement gave no details on where or how the injuries occurred.
Iran has also struck Gulf states that host US bases. Airports in Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were damaged by missiles and remained closed on Sunday, creating one of the most severe disruptions to global aviation in years.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to intensify aerial attacks on Iran, saying, “Our forces are now striking at the heart of Tehran with great force, and this will only increase in the days ahead.”
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