Gulf war escalates: Trump says 48 Iranian leaders killed, agrees talk with Teheran
.US forces destroy 9 Iranian ships, naval headquarters
.America confirms 3 troops killed as Iran fires more missiles
.Kill 3, injure 58 in UAE ,6 Israelis dead
.Iran forms interim council to oversee transition after Khamenei’s killing
.At least 7 dead at pro-Iran protest in Pakistan
.China condemns attack, killing of Khamenei’s
It’ll bring hope, instability – EU
.Pope Leo XIV urges dialogue
.As Acting IG orders tight security around worship centres, public spaces
President Trump told Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich that 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in the operation: “Forty-eight leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly.”
Heinrich, who said she had spoken with Mr. Trump by phone, posted on X that he told her, “If we didn’t do that, they would have had a nuclear weapon within two weeks. And then all of this would not have been possible.”
Senior Trump administration officials told reporters Saturday that Tehran had about 450 kg of 60% enriched uranium and was technically one week from being able to reach 90% weapons grade uranium if they pursued it. Building a nuclear weapon, however, would take months, according to a U.S. intelligence summary produced when the U.S. and Israel carried out strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities last June.
Also, President Trump told CNBC’s Joe Kernen Sunday that the U.S. operation in Iran is “moving along very well, very well — ahead of schedule.”
“It’s a very violent regime, one of the most violent regimes in history,” Mr. Trump said in a phone call with Kernen. “We’re doing our job not just for us, but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule.”
The president has been overseeing the assault from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
He mentioned a potential off-ramp to end the conflict. He said it depends on many variables but expressed optimism.
“Things are evolving in a very positive way right now, a very positive way,” Mr. Trump said.
Trump says U.S. has sunk 9 Iranian ships, “largely destroyed” naval headquarters
The president said in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. has sunk nine ships in the Iranian navy and “largely destroyed” the navy’s headquarters in separate attacks.
“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Mr. Trump said. “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!”
Trump says U.S. has sunk 9 Iranian ships, “largely destroyed” naval headquarters
The president said in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. has sunk nine ships in the Iranian navy and “largely destroyed” the navy’s headquarters in separate attacks.
“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Mr. Trump said. “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!”
Trump says he’s agreed to talk with Iran
President Trump told The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer in a phone call Sunday morning that Iran’s new leaders want to talk with him, and he plans to do so.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Mr. Trump told Scherer. He did not say when he will be speaking with the Iranians.
Scherer said the president, after seeing people in the streets celebrating in Iran and in the U.S., seemed confident that the Iranian people would rise up, saying, “That is going to happen. You are seeing that, and I think it’s gonna happen. A lot of people are extremely happy over there and in Los Angeles and in many other places.”
Though some oil analysts are watching to see if oil prices rise when those markets open Sunday night, Mr. Trump predicted that because the operation has been successful so far, it would be less likely to cause a spike in oil prices.
“This could have been a huge price increase with respect to oil, if things went wrong,” Mr. Trump said.
.Toll rises to six from Iranian missile attack near Jerusalem
Israeli police say the death toll has risen to six after an Iranian missile slammed into a residential building near Jerusalem. More than 20 people are being treated in hospital.
Meanwhile, three US service members have been killed in action during the operation on Iran, launched alongside Israel on Saturday, the military says
In Israel, nine people have been killed after a missile strike in the city of Beit Shemesh, according to medical services.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has launched another wave of strikes on Tehran, while Iranian officials say at least 153 people including children were killed after a reported strike hit a school.
Iran’s interim leadership council is named after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed – Iran’s foreign minister says a new leader could be chosen in “a day or two.”
“People feel anxious and elated all at once,” an Iranian woman tells BBC Persian, while one man says he is ready to “take to the streets and protest” if needed.
The UAE says three people have been killed by Iranian attacks since yesterday, while in Kuwait, one person has reportedly been killed.
. At least seven dead at pro-Iran protest in northern Pakistan city
At least seven people have been killed at pro-Iran demonstrations in the northern Pakistani city of Gilgit.
Rescue official Zaheer Shah said many others have been injured.
At least nine other people were killed during an earlier protest at the US consulate in the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, according to a hospital casualty toll.
.Iran strikes kill three, injure 58 in UAE as Gulf tensions escalate
Also, Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone campaign in the Gulf has killed three people and wounded 58 in the United Arab Emirates since it began, Emirati authorities said on Sunday.
AFP correspondents heard repeated, powerful blasts in Dubai, Doha, and Manama, with explosions also in Riyadh, as Iran pressed a second day of counter-strikes following US and Israeli attacks that killed its supreme leader and other top officials.
Iran’s continued and unprecedented Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.
The three people killed in the UAE attacks were Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationals, Abu Dhabi’s defence ministry said.
Since Saturday, the UAE detected 165 ballistic missiles, destroying 152, and intercepted two cruise missiles, the defence ministry said.
It added that 506 of 541 Iranian drones were also shot down.
In Kuwait, the health ministry said one person had been killed and 32 others injured since Saturday.
In Oman, which helped mediate US-Iran talks and was the only Gulf state spared in the first day of the Iranian campaign, the port of Duqm was targeted by two drones, the Oman News Agency said in a social media post.
“One drone struck a mobile workers’ accommodation, injuring one foreign worker, while debris from the other landed near fuel tanks, causing no casualties or material damage,” it said.
Hotels become targets
Shortly after, Oman said an oil tanker was targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated, and four of them were injured, the news agency reported.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was to convene via video-link later Sunday for a unified response to Iran’s attacks.
Across the Gulf, civilian infrastructure has been hit: from airports and seaports to residential buildings and even hotels.
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Sunday lashed out at Tehran, calling the attacks on the Gulf states a miscalculation.
“It isolated Iran at a critical juncture. Your war is not with your neighbours,” said Gargash.
Gulf security analyst Anna Jacobs said: “The Gulf countries right now are really on the front lines of this brutal war.”
“Gulf countries, as always, want to support de-escalation and diplomacy… But this commitment and these principles are being put to the test right now,” she added.
“If Iran continues to hit these countries and escalates even more, it will be very difficult for them to just sit and do nothing.”
Early Sunday, drones struck the airport in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, causing minor damage, authorities said.
The US embassy in Manama urged citizens to steer clear of hotels in the Bahraini capital, warning they could become potential targets after the Crowne Plaza was hit.
On Saturday in Manama, drones and shrapnel slammed into residential buildings, with video on social media showing smoke and fire erupting from high-rises.
“We advise US citizens in Bahrain that hotels might be a target for future attacks, and encourage US citizens to avoid hotels in Manama,” the embassy said in a post on X.
In the UAE, which has borne the brunt of the attacks, two people were injured when debris from intercepted drones fell on homes in Dubai, authorities said.
And in the capital Abu Dhabi, a woman and child were injured after debris from an intercepted drone collided with a building facade at Etihad Towers, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
On Saturday, the Iranian attacks sparked fires at landmarks such as The Palm seafront development and Burj Al Arab hotel.
At the airport in Abu Dhabi, at least one person was killed and seven wounded during what authorities called an “incident”, and another died earlier in the day from falling debris.
Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, and Kuwait’s airport, were also hit.
In Qatar, host of the region’s biggest US military base, officials said Iran had launched 65 missiles and 12 drones towards the Gulf state, most of which were intercepted, but eight people were injured, with one in critical condition.
Smoke rose on Saturday from US bases in Abu Dhabi and Manama, home of the American navy’s Fifth Fleet, witnesses said, with US bases also targeted in Kuwait.
The oil-and-gas-rich Arab monarchies host a clutch of US military bases.
Iran forms interim council to oversee transition after Khamenei’s killing
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, member of a constitutional watchdog, appointed to temporary council, along with Iranian president and chief justice.
Iran has announced the formation of a three-member transitional council to handle the state duties following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, member of a powerful constitutional watchdog, was appointed on Sunday to the temporary council, whose other two members are President Masoud Pezeshkian and Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.
The 67-year-old cleric, who is a member of the Guardian Council that must later choose a supreme leader, was confirmed to the council by the Expediency Council, a powerful arbitration body.
According to Article 111 of the Iranian Constitution, the transitional council will govern the country until an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts chooses a new supreme leader after almost 37 years of rule by Khamenei.
His killing on Saturday by the joint United States and Israeli forces has raised crucial questions about Iran’s future.
Although the leadership council will govern in the interim, the Assembly of Experts “must, as soon as possible,” pick a new supreme leader, according to the Iranian constitution.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani are also expected to play pivotal roles in the transitional council, but it remains to be seen where the balance of power lies.
The commander-in-chief of the IRGC was also killed in the US-Israeli attack on Saturday – the second such killing in less than a year – and the next leader of the elite military and economic force is yet to be announced.
IRGC-linked Telegram channels are citing deputy chief Ahmad Vahidi, who was appointed to the position by Khamenei two months ago, as a likely candidate.
Get instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen.
Yes, keep me updated
Earlier on Sunday, Larijani accused the US and Israel of trying to plunder and break apart Iran and warned “secessionist groups” within Iran of a harsh response if they attempt action, state media said.
“The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors,” he said.
A former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, Larijani was appointed to advise Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Khamenei’s killing brings both hope, instability – EU
Top European Union officials said on Sunday that the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes could spell “hope” for the country — but carried a serious risk of regional instability.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas described Khamenei’s death as “a defining moment in Iran’s history”, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it spurred “renewed hope for the people of Iran”.
“At the same time, this moment carries a real risk of instability that could push the region into a spiral of violence,” von der Leyen added.
Von der Leyen said Brussels was engaging closely “with all key actors” to safeguard stability and security and to protect civilian lives.
“With Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape,” she wrote on social media, after a call with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Likewise, Kallas said she was in contact with regional partners “that bear the brunt of Iran’s military actions” to find practical steps for de-escalation.
“What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape,” Kallas wrote on X.
China condemns attack, killing of Iran’s supreme leader
China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the attack and killing of Iran’s supreme leader, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.
The spokesperson made the remarks when asked to comment on the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the military strikes launched by the United States and Israel on Saturday in Tehran.
The attack and killing of Iran’s supreme leader is a grave violation of Iran’s sovereignty and security, said the spokesperson, adding that it tramples on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms in international relations.
China urges for an immediate stop to the military operations, no further escalation of the tense situation and joint effort to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East and the world at large, the spokesperson added
Pope Leo XIV urges dialogue as Iran, Isreal tensions escalate
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed to nations involved in the escalating Middle East conflict to recognise their moral responsibility to pursue peace, following airstrikes reportedly carried out by the United States and Israel on Iran.
According to Vatican News, the Pope made the call during his Angelus address on Sunday, where he expressed “deep concern” over recent developments in the region, particularly in Iran.
“Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” he said.
The Pontiff warned that an uncontrolled escalation of violence could result in catastrophic consequences.
“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions. “I address to the parties involved a heartfelt appeal to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss!,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV also prayed that diplomacy would regain prominence in resolving the crisis.
“May diplomacy recover its role and may the good of peoples be promoted, peoples who long for peaceful coexistence founded on justice. And let us continue to pray for peace,” he said.
Acting IG orders security around worship centres, public spaces
The Nigeria Police Force has reassured Nigerians of its unwavering commitment to maintaining security and public order in light of escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
While Nigeria remains stable, the Force said it has intensified intelligence-led policing across the country to prevent any attempt to exploit global developments for unrest.
The assurance was conveyed in a statement issued via X on Sunday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin.
Hundeyin said Acting Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, directed all Commissioners of Police across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to work with traditional and religious leaders, in strengning security around worship centres and public spaces.
The statement read, “The Ag. IGP has directed all Commissioners of Police in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, with particular attention to the North West, North East, and North Central zones, to heighten surveillance and intelligence gathering, strengthen collaboration with traditional and religious leaders, enhance visibility policing around worship centres and public spaces, and swiftly address any attempt by individuals or groups to exploit global developments to incite unrest or sectarian tension.
“The Nigeria Police Force reiterates that Nigeria will not serve as a theatre for foreign conflicts. Any attempt to import external ideological or religious tensions into the country will be met with the full weight of the law.
“IGP Disu calls on community leaders nationwide to continue promoting peace and urges citizens to remain calm, vigilant, and law-abiding, reporting any suspicious activity to the nearest police formation.”
The Force assured that it remains resolute, prepared, and fully committed to safeguarding every Nigerian and maintaining national security at all times.
the statement follows joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran late February 28, 2026, which reportedly resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.
The strikes triggered Iran’s large-scale counterattacks starting Saturday.
Explosions rocked key locations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and other Gulf nations hosting American bases.
Reports indicate civilian casualties, flight cancellations, airport closures, and damage to infrastructure in densely populated areas.
On Saturday, the Nigerian government issued travel advisories for citizens in Iran and Gulf countries, urging maximum caution amid the hostilities.
The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has separately called for de-escalation and restraint by all parties involved.
For a better society
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
