United States President, Donald Trump in a nationwide broadcast issued a few hours ago over the joint Israel-US military actions in the sovereign nation of Iran, has said that many Iranian soldiers are willing to surrender in order to save their lives, but the offensive US-Israel military war or combat on Iran continued, saying the joint military operations codenamed Operation Epic Fury has destroyed hundreds of Iranian targets since the military action began on February 28, 2026, including the killing of the Iran Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the new joint war against Iran has resulted to the killing of more than 200 Iranian civilians and military personnel, with thousands of people injured, while over 12 persons have been killed so far in Israel with estimated 500 people sustaining injuries and the war has forced Iran to launch counterattacks on US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, U.A.E, this, Iran Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi had said Iran will not surrender, stating that, despite the massive airstrikes on Tehran, Iran’s military capability remains intact, adding, Iran was able to retaliate faster than it did in the 2025 “Twelve-Day War” and that its “mosaic defense” doctrine makes it resilient to infrastructure damage”, Araghchi called the killing of Khamenei “absolutely unprecedented and a major violation of international law”, warning it had made the conflict “even more dangerous and more complicated”, saying, Khamenei was not only Iran’s political leader, but “a high-ranking religious leader for millions of Muslims, even outside of Iran, across the region”, pointing to protests that had erupted in Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere where the leader had followers, inline with this, Al-Jazeera news media also reported some minutes ago that Iranian missiles have been seen over Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank, reportedly breaking through Israel’s defence system, with Iran saying it is targeting Israeli military facilities.

In the 6 minutes nationwide video broadcast, President Donald Trump called on members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to surrender their weapons or face certain deaths. Saying, the death of the three American soldiers killed in action will be avenged by taking more punishing actions against the enemies.

President Donald Trump said there will likely be additional American deaths during the combat mission in Iran, which he said would continue until the US achieves its objectives.

“Combat operations continue at this time, in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives,” he said in a video posted to Truth Social, without specifying in detail what those objectives were, according to CNN.

President Trump said 9 Iranian ships have been destroyed so far in the Operation Epic Fury. In an earlier social media post, Trump said: “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!”. 

President Trump also said during the broadcast that the Iranian people are now celebrating on the streets in Iran over the killing of the Iran Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who he described as a man behind the killing of thousands of Americans and the root behind terrorism in the world. Iran also confirmed the killing of the Supreme Leader, Khamenei’s daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law in the US-Israel joint military air bombardments in Tehran.

Iran News Daily reported that the Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said “We have prepared ourselves for all scenarios, and plans have even been made for after the martyrdom of Imam Khamenei. You will see that with the formation of a Leadership Council, authority will take shape among the people and officials.

The media also reported that the Iran’s military has launched four ballistic missiles targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf, in response to US and Israeli strikes that resulted in the death of the country’s supreme leader.

Spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified combatant command of the Iranian Armed Forces, Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari said; “Iran will not bow to America. The enemies are delusional if they think they can defeat Iran by assassinating the Leader of the Revolution and the Islamic Republic.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, IRGC also said: “We struck with missiles three offending oil tankers belonging to the United States and Britain in the Gulf”.

While some celebrated the killing of the 86 years old Iran Supreme leader, there were demonstrations in Lucknow, the capital city of Indian Northern state of Uttar Pradesh and Kargil, a city in the India administered union Territory of Ladakh, in mourning the martyrdom of the Leader of the Iran Supreme leader. Protesters were also seen destroying US properties at the US Consulate in Karachi city of Pakistan.

Iranian media reports, citing the Red Crescent, had stated that at least 201 people have been killed across 24 provinces in Iran since the war began on Saturday.

Nigeria Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has also reacted to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing him as “a lucky soul” who “died in jihad.”

In a post shared on his Facebook page on Sunday, Gumi said Khamenei died “in jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere.”

He added that Khamenei’s blood “will fuel the change in the ummah,” noting that the Iranian leader stood firmly for justice and did not hide in bunkers.

Gumi wrote, “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: A lucky soul, he died in Jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere. His blood will fuel the change in the ummah. He stood firmly for Justice and didn’t hide in bunkers. For those who killed him or assisted in killing him, let us see what they will live to do in this world.”

Iran state television has announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays in his honour. “With the martyrdom of the supreme leader, his path and mission neither will be lost nor will be forgotten; on the other hand, they will be pursued with greater vigour and zeal,” a presenter said. Khamenei, 86, had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989.

US military Central Command confirmed that three US service members were killed and five others seriously injured in combat operations.

Iran has launched extensive counterattacks, firing hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, hitting areas like Beit Shemesh and Tel Aviv and US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the U.A.E. Over 200 people have been reported killed in Iran, with a single strike on a school in southern Iran resulting in at least 165 deaths.

This current 2026 war follows the “Twelve-Day War” on June 13–24, 2025, a prior direct military confrontation between Israel, the US, and Iran that ended in a ceasefire. The 2025 Conflict was Triggered by Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, it involved over 1,500 Iranian missiles and drones fired at Israel.
The US thereafter conducted Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, using B-2 stealth bombers to strike nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan

As of March 2, 2026, local media reports in Israel indicate that at least 12 people have been killed in Israel since the current conflict with Iran escalated on February 28. The deadliest single incident occurred in the central Israeli town on March 1, where an Iranian ballistic missile struck a residential building, killing 9 people. One woman was killed by falling shrapnel during strikes on Saturday, February 28 in Tel Aviv. Over 500 people have been reported injured across the country due to missile impacts, shrapnel, or accidents while seeking shelter.