The war on Iran, the regime's retaliations, and the wide range of reactions — as it happened

A range of reactions have been visible in Iran since the news broke that the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed by US-Israeli strikes.

Some Iranians took to the streets, cheering with joy, setting off fireworks and playing celebratory music, according to witnesses and video footage verified by AFP.

In the town of Galleh Dar in southern Iran, people knocked down a monument commemorating Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic in 1979, a video on social media showed.

People were not, however, coming out en masse to celebrate, according to social media. Many Iranians were fearful after the deadly crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January.

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However, thousands gathered in the centre of Iran's capital on Sunday to mourn Khamenei's death, according to AFP journalists.

The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted "death to America" and "death to Israel" in Enghelab (Revolution) Square, with many waving Iran's flags and holding photos of Khamenei.

Thousands of people gathered in Tehran's Enghelab Square for a pro-government demonstration after Iranian state media confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Source: Getty / Majid Saeedi

One man at the rally said the news had filled him with hatred "towards Israel and America."

"We said last night until the morning that God willing, it is a lie. Unfortunately, it was the truth," said a woman mourning Khamenei's death, in a pool report via the West Asia News Agency.

Mourners held up portraits of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in Tehran on 1 March, following the confirmation of the supreme leader's death by state TV. Source: Getty / Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto

Iranian state TV announced Khamenei's death in the early hours of Sunday, the voice of the broadcaster breaking with emotion as he confirmed he had been killed Saturday.

— Reuters / AFP / Zacharias Szumer

In a recently published article, senior SBS journalist Rashida Yosufzai has examined whether the Israeli-US strikes on Iran were legal under international law.

All three legal and human rights experts she interviewed said there were no justifications under international law for the attacks.

Emily Crawford, a professor of international law, said the recent actions by Israel and the US were "not even close" to being compliant with international law.

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Ben Saul, an international law expert and UN Special Rapporteur, said the refusal of Australian government figures to publicly offer an opinion on the legality of the strikes risked "trashing" the principles they claim to support.

He said the government's rhetoric was "deeply disappointing" given that, based on his understanding of governmental processes, it would have already received legal advice about the strikes.

— Zacharias Szumer

United States President Donald Trump has warned Iran against further retaliation to Israeli and US strikes, saying that, if it did so, his nation's military would respond with previously unseen force.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said: "Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever been hit before."

Subsequently pressing the caps lock key, he added: "THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!"

On Sunday, Iran's parliamentary speaker promised the US and Israel that they would continue to face "devastating blows" over the ongoing attacks on the Islamic Republic.

Earlier today, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said dozens of US military bases in the region were among the targets of a new wave of retaliatory strikes.

The group also pledged that "the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow the sound of the alarm sirens" in Israel and the US to stop.

-- Gabrielle Katanasho / Zacharias Szumer

Iranian television recently announced that the chief of staff of the country's armed forces had been killed by Israeli and US strikes on Iran — the latest addition to a growing list of senior leaders and state officials now reported as deceased, including:

• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Iran's supreme leader
• Abdolrahim Mousavi: Chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces
• Mohammad Pakpour: Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
• Ali Shamkhani: Military adviser to the supreme leader and secretary of the Defence Council
• Aziz Nasirzadeh: Defence minister

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

In a new statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that 27 United States military bases in the region were among the targets of a new wave of retaliatory strikes.

The IRGC added that "the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow the sound of the alarm sirens" in Israel and the United States to stop.

It is unclear whether the strikes caused any damage, and the US has not yet commented.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

Several large bangs were heard in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Reuters news agency reported on Sunday afternoon (AEDT), citing witnesses.

Earlier it emerged that Dubai's international airport, which handles more than 1,000 flights a day, had sustained damage during an overnight Iranian retaliatory attack on sites across the Arab Gulf states, while Abu Dhabi and Kuwait's international airports were also hit.

An Iranian-launched missile is intercepted and destroyed by defense systems over Doha, Qatar on Saturday. Source: Getty,Anadolu / Ali Altunkaya

The UAE said that two people were killed in the capital, Abu Dhabi, including a Pakistani civilian.

First responders in Israel said Iranian missile fire had killed a woman in the Tel Aviv. The Israeli emergency medical service said its teams had taken 20 injured people to hospital.

Rescue forces at a building hit by an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday. Source: Getty / Bloomberg/Kobi Wolf

Qatar's defence ministry said it had intercepted several missile attacks targeting the Gulf state.

Two people were killed in air strikes on an Iraqi military base housing the powerful pro-Iran group Kataeb Hezbollah, which threatened the US with a response.

— David Aidone, Reuters and Agence France-Presse

Mohammad Mokhber, an aide to Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has told state television that Iran's president, head of the judiciary, and one of Iran's Guardian Council's jurists will take responsibility for a transitional period of government after Khamenei's death.

Masoud Pezeshkian has served as president since 2024, but he has not spoken publicly since strikes began, leading to speculation about whether he is alive. Local media is reporting he is.

According to Iran's constitution, until the appointment of the new leader, a council comprising these three people will temporarily assume all leadership duties.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

Greens senator David Shoebridge has said his party stands with "millions" in condemnation of the US and Israel's war on Iran, and criticised the Australian government's response.

He also criticised Australia's relationship with the US — echoing similar remarks his party has made in the past — and said that, if it's true the government had no prior notice of the US attack, then Australia is being "treated contemptuously by its major ally".

"The Australian Greens join with millions of Australians today and condemn the latest illegal US attack.

"It is remarkable that the Albanese Labor government rushed to be the first government on the planet to back in this attack by the United States, which has been widely seen as illegal and in breach of international law."

Shoebridge said the US had been "lying about the imminence of some of the Iranian nuclear threat to the world," which US President Donald Trump appeared to link as the motivation for the attack, as well as his hope for regime change.

"The United States is again trying to justify a war in the Middle East based on lies, just like the United States lied about weapons of mass destruction to justify their decades-long, disastrous war in Iraq," Shoebridge said.

Iran has repeatedly denied it is pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear activities are for civilian energy purposes.

"Nobody believes that Donald Trump is engaged in this war on the side of the Iranian people for democracy and human rights," Greens senator David Shoebridge has said. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

Shoebridge was also critical of Foreign Minister Penny Wong's response earlier this morning when she was asked if Australia's view was that the strikes, which the US has termed pre-emptive, were illegal under international law.

Wong said: "I will leave it for the United States and Israel to speak of the legal basis for the attacks."

Shoebridge said this wasn't good enough, adding that "international law doesn't enforce itself" and needed countries like Australia to "back it in".

"We saw Penny Wong today refuse to pass judgement on whether or not this wide-scale attack from both the United States and Israel was consistent with international law. That is a comprehensive failure from our own government," he said.

Wong also reiterated comments similar to Albanese's, indicating support for the US strikes.

"The international community has been clear. This regime can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. So, Australia supports action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace," she said.

— Madeleine Wedesweiler

Following reports of the death of Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, social media footage has emerged showing some Iranians celebrating in cities across the country.

— Zacharias Szumer

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has "the most devastating offensive operation in the history of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin shortly", targeting Israeli and United States military bases in the Middle East.

The Iranian Armed Forces are the combined military forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, the Police Command and the IRGC.

The threat comes after Iranian officials confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, was killed in Saturday's US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

Now Iranian officials have confirmed the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's, there are questions over who will be the next leader — also known as "rahbar".

Iran has a formal process in its constitution for choosing the country's supreme leader.

A body called the Assembly of Experts — made up of Islamic jurists — is responsible for selecting the leader. Members of this assembly are elected every eight years. However, anyone who wants to run for the Assembly must first be approved by the Council of Guardians, which supervises elections. Half of the Council's members are appointed by the supreme leader.

The question remains whether this process will still proceed to choose the next leader amid the latest conflict and security concerns.

Earlier when announcing the death of Khamenei following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, United States President Donald Trump indicated he hoped for something different.

"Hopefully, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and police will peacefully merge with the Iranian patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the country to the greatness it deserves".

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

The Iranian government's cabinet has issued a statement in reaction to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announcing "40 days of public mourning and seven days of public holidays".

"This great crime will never go unanswered ... We will make the perpetrators and instigators of this great crime regret their actions," the statement reads.

"Our beloved Iran, relying on divine support, united in voice and heart, will pass through this difficult passage with dignity."

Announcing public mourning days in Iran after the death of some officials is a common practice, although it is typically limited to a few days.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

The local Fars News Agency — an outlet close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — has provided more details on the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying he was in "his workplace (his office) at the moment of" the attack, which happened in the early hours of Saturday morning local time.

SBS News is unable to verify this account, but the time broadly aligns with when the United States and Israel launched their attacks on Iran.

Khamenei has a number of residences in Iran. Satellite images captured on Saturday and published in other international news outlets showed severe damage to one of his main residences in Tehran. The Fars News Agency did not specify the location in which he was killed.

The IRGC also shared a statement confirming Khamenei's death, stating it "will stand firm against internal and external conspiracies and deliver a lesson-giving punishment to those who aggress against the Islamic homeland".

The IRGC is a key branch of Iran's military and plays a pivotal role in preventing foreign interference in Iran and coups by other parts of the military.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

Multiple official local news agencies in Iran, including the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) — the official news agency of Iran and the state television broadcaster — have confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.

State television read a statement from Iran's Supreme National Security Council confirming Khamenei's death.

— Niv Sadrolodabaee

Agence France-Presse reports that one of its journalists reported hearing loud explosions in the Iran's capital, Tehran.

It comes as the Israeli military said it launched a fresh wave of strikes targeting Iranian ballistic missile and air defence sites on Sunday.

A military statement said Israeli forces had begun "an additional strike wave targeting the ballistic missile array and the aerial defence systems belonging to the Iranian terror regime", without specifying any location.

At least three explosions were heard in Tehran around 0030 GMT (11.30am AEDT), the AFP journalist said.

— David Aidone and AFP

Earlier, Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated that airspace closures caused by Iranian retaliatory strikes are likely to limit the federal government's ability to organise repatriation flights for Australians stranded in the Middle East.

Australians have been told not to travel to a number of Middle East countries including Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as Iran retaliates in response to the US-Israeli strikes that are reported to have killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei's death has not been confirmed by Iran.

Iranian missiles were fired at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha — all key east-west aviation gateways and where an American military build up of weaponry has occurred in advance of the strikes. Qatar is home to the biggest US military base in the region.

You can read more here:

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been speaking to reporters in Sydney.

Making similar remarks to those released in a statement on Saturday night, Albanese said Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, "will not be mourned".

"Ayatollah Khameini was responsible for the regime's ballistic missile and nuclear program, support for armed proxies, and its brutal acts of violence and intimidation against its own people," he said.

"This claimed countless lives in Iran, but also internationally. He was responsible for orchestrating attacks on Australian soil.

"His passing will not be mourned."

Albanese reiterated the federal government's support of the US-Israeli military action "to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security".

He said the federal government was concerned about regional escalation and urged the protection of civilians.

— David Aidone

Opposition frontbencher Tim Wilson was speaking to the ABC's Insiders program earlier.

He said the Coalition supported the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and that the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — which has not been confirmed by Iran — meant the world "is now a safer place".

"The reality is this situation has been building for some time. Iran has exported terrorism around the world, including into Australia, in a coordinated attack to address what has clearly been an ongoing build up of their nuclear program," he said.

Iran has repeatedly denied it is pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear activities are for civilian energy purposes.

Wilson said it was now up to Iranians to decide "how they want to run their lives and their country".

Asked whether Australian involvement in the would be appropriate, if the conflict continues, Wilson said it was a question for Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

"These situations should be done in consultation and discussion with countries like the United States," he said.

"And we want to make sure that any decision we take is sober and of course, is necessary and proportionate."

— Arielle Richards

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he "deeply regrets" that diplomacy had been "squandered" and warned the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk "igniting a chain of events that nobody can control" in one of the world's most volatile regions.

Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom backed efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Iran as a "destabilising force" and its nuclear program a threat to international security. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said Iran "must never be allowed" to obtain nuclear weapons, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Tehran to halt its weapons program.

China's UN envoy Fu Cong condemned the strikes as "brazen", and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rejected what he called "unilateral military action".

In the United States, former vice-president Kamala Harris labelled the intervention a "dangerous and unnecessary gamble", as protesters gathered outside the White House.

Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon defended the operation as a matter of "necessity" and "survival".

Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani accused Israel and the US of targeting civilian infrastructure and that the strikes were "not only an act of aggression" but a "war crime and crime against humanity".

— Arielle Richards

Australians are being advised not to travel to a number of Middle East countries including Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Wong said Australia has upgraded its travel advice to a number of those countries overnight, after Iranian retaliatory strikes hit airports in Erbil, Iraq, and the Dubai International Airport, as well as downtown Tel Aviv.

Earlier today, Dubai Airport said four people were injured after a concourse was hit by an Iranian strike.

Wong said some of the regions hit by Iran "were not party to the conflict".

"We call on Iran to cease its indiscriminate attacks," Wong said.

"I would say to Australians, this is a difficult period. The days ahead will be difficult, and we'll do our best to give you the information we are able to get to you."

In regards to the potential for repatriation flights for Australians seeking to return home, Wong said airpsaces around the region were closed.

"You would have seen we've been in this situation a number of times. We have always worked to do what we can to support Australians. We will always do that. At this situation the airspace is closed."

- Rashida Yosufzai