Iran has elected a new supreme leader, a senior official has said, while Israel said it will target whoever has been selected as well as those appointing him.
Ahmad Alamolhoda, a member of the panel appointing a new leader, told state media that a leader had been chosen after an election – without naming who had been selected.
It marks a potentially significant development as the war between Iran and the US and Israel entered its ninth day. Iran’s previous leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli strike last Saturday.
Overnight, Iran witnessed one of the deadliest attacks from Israel targeting Tehran’s infrastructure and oil facilities. The Israel Defence Forces confirmed the onslaught and said they “launched another wave of attacks across Iran”.
Locals in Tehran said they woke up to loud explosions and strikes on its oil refineries which turned the sky orange from massive flames.
Labour MPs urge Starmer to ‘stick to what we believe is right’ in face of Trump fury over Iran
The US president launched another broadside at the prime minister overnight, writing on Truth Social that the US does not need anyone to “join wars after we’ve already won”.
Sir Tony Blair also weighed into the debate, arguing that Sir Keir had made a mistake by not joining in the war on Iran from the offset.
In a row that has been brewing for over a week, Labour MPs called on the PM to stick to his policy of defensive action.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned that Labour “needs to learn the lessons of Iraq” in a put down to Sir Tony.
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Recap: Explosion at US embassy in Oslo ‘may have been linked to Middle East conflict’
An explosion on Sunday outside the US embassy in Oslo, Norway, may be linked to the ongoing Middle East security situation, police have said said.
As of Sunday afternoon, no suspects had been identified, Norwegian police added.
“It’s natural to see this in the context of the current security situation and that this could be an attack deliberately targeting the U.S. embassy,” police spokesperson Frode Larsen told a news conference.
A “loud” explosion occurred at the entrance to the US embassy in the city in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The incident reportedly did not cause any deaths and resulted in minor damage at the scene.
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Israel says it has carried out strike on Iranian commanders in Beirut
Israel’s military said it struck Iranian commanders in the Lebanese capital early on Sunday, expanding the scope of strikes to the heart of Beirut after days of strikes that have left nearly 400 people dead.
The drone strike was the first within the city limits of Lebanon’s capital since Israel-Hezbollah hostilities resumed last week, and came amid heavy bombardment on Beirut’s southern suburbs and the country’s south and east.
Israel said it targeted key commanders of Iran’s elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards but did not name them.
“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Drone that struck UK airbase in Cyprus ‘equipped with Russian tech’
The drone that struck a British airbase in Cyprus was reportedly equipped with Russian military hardware.
The drone that hit RAF Akrotiri contained a Russian-made Kometa-B navigation system, according to a report in The Sunday Times.
British military believe that the attack was launched by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
Cyprus’s foreign minister has said that there are “questions” about the future of UK military bases on the island after the drone strike.
The strike did not result in casualties but Cypriot high commissioner to the UK has said that the country was disappointed that Britain failed to warn people on the island of the impending strike.
Protests to take place near embassies in London
Protests are set to take place on Sunday afternoon near the Israeli Embassy and the Iranian Embassy in London.
Conditions have been put in place by the Metropolitan Police, which shared an image on X of the route a march by The Lion Guard of Iran must not deviate from.
The Metropolitan Police posted on X saying: “Conditions have been put in place on public order events in London today.
“The Lion Guard of Iran will form up in Whitehall before proceeding to the Israeli Embassy, they cannot deviate from the route shown. They will then hold a rally where they must conclude and disperse by 17:30hrs.”
The force added: “An Anti-Iranian Government Assembly is also expected outside the Iranian Embassy. This group must disperse by 17:30hrs and must not use any amplified noise equipment.”
Iran launches 16 ballistic missiles at UAE, defence ministry says
Iran has launched at least 16 ballistic missiles and 117 drones in new barrages, according to the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE’s Defence Ministry said it had intercepted 16 missiles on Sunday, while a 17th fell into the sea.
It added that it intercepted most of the drones but four fell in UAE territory. The ministry said it is ready to “firmly confront” the threats.
The Emirati statement did not specify the locations of the attacks.
While multiple Gulf states reported intercepting more missiles and drones from Iran, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said the country was not looking to battle them and accused the US of trying to pit countries against one another.
Iran says US has ‘set precedent’ with strike on water supplies
Iran’s foreign minister has said that a US airstrike damaged an Iranian desalination plant on Qeshm Island, warning that in doing so “the US set this precedent, not Iran”.
This infrastructure is critical for drinking water supplies in the parched deserts of the Gulf.
Bahrain earlier accused Iran of striking a desalination plant, raising fears that civilian infrastructure may become targets in the war.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said that the US strike on Qeshm Island had cut into the water supply for 30 villages.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that about 10,000 civilian structures across the country had been damaged, including homes, schools and medical facilities. It warned Tehran residents to take precautions against toxic air pollution and the risk of acid rain after Israeli strikes set fires at oil depots in the area.
Iran vows to step up attacks
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Sunday vowed to step up attacks against Israel and US assets in the Middle East as Israel continue to hit the nation Iran with strikes, the Iranian state-run news agency reported.
The guard said “the scale and depth” of its missile and drone attacks will increase following what it called “the brutality” of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to IRNA news agency.
Thick smoke over Tehran after overnight strikes
Israeli forces expanded their attack of Iran overnight, striking fuel depots near Tehran, while Bahrain said an Iranian strike had damaged one of its desalination plants, signalling a widening assault on vital infrastructure across the region.
As the fighting escalated on day nine of the US-Israeli assault on Iran, Israel’s military threatened to kill any replacement for Khamenei, while U.S. President Donald Trump said the war might only end once Iran’s military and rulers had been wiped out.
Video from Tehran showed thick, choking black smoke hanging over the city early on Sunday after strikes on oil storage facilities had lit up the night sky with plumes of orange flame.
An Israeli source said the fuel was used to manufacture and develop weapons and to operate military bases. Iran’s oil distribution company said four of its employees were killed in the blitz, adding that rationing would be introduced temporarily in some areas “to ensure fair and sustainable supplies”.
Shortly after the attack, which appeared to mark new phase in the war, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would press on with the assault and strike Iran’s rulers “without mercy”.
“We have an organised plan with many surprises to destabilise the regime and enable change,” he said in a video statement. “We have many more targets.”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was not interested in negotiating an end to the conflict that has sent energy prices skyward, hurt business and snarled global travel.
“At some point, I don’t think there will be anybody left maybe to say, ‘We surrender’,” Trump said.
Pope Leo urges an end to violence
Pope Leo on Sunday urging an end to the violence in the Middle East and renewed efforts to open space for dialogue.
Speaking at the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said the conflict was fuelling fear and hatred as he raised concerns that it could spread further, dragging other countries, including “dear Lebanon”.
“Let us raise our humble prayer to the Lord that the roar of bombs may cease, that weapons may fall silent, and that space may be opened for dialogue in which the voices of peoples can be heard”, he said.
Source: independent.co.uk