The conflict between Israel and the United States on one side, and Iran on the other, entered its ninth day on Sunday, with escalating missile exchanges and rising regional tensions. Meanwhile, attention in Tehran has turned to the process of selecting a new supreme leader amid the intensifying confrontation.
U.S. President Donald Trump told CBS that American strikes on Iran would continue, describing what he called “rapid victories” inside Iran at levels “we have never seen before.” He added that deploying U.S. ground forces inside Iran was not part of the current operational plan, but said all options remain under consideration.
Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian President, said Iran would not yield to military pressure. “Iran has not bowed to injustice, aggression and bullying and will not do so in the future,” he stated, adding that Tehran would not allow anyone to seize “a single inch” of its territory.
In the early hours of Sunday, Iran launched a new wave of missiles toward Israel, according to Iranian media. Israeli media reported that one missile fell in an open area without causing casualties, while one person was injured during a rush to shelters. Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel, the greater Tel Aviv area, the city of Ashdod, and several settlements in the occupied West Bank following the launches.
Israeli army radio reported that the number of people injured rose to five after fragments from a cluster missile landed in central Israel.
Iran said the latest barrage included multi-warhead missiles such as the Ghadr, Emad, and Kheibar Shekan models. Iranian state television reported that the missiles carried warheads weighing between 700 kilograms and one tonne. The Kheibar Shekan missile, with a range of about 1,450 kilometres, is capable of maneuvering until impact and had achieved a high strike rate in previous attacks.
A spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces said Iranian strikes destroyed four radars belonging to the U.S. THAAD missile defense system in recent hours.
The Israeli military said it carried out dozens of strikes targeting what it described as infrastructure linked to the Iranian regime in several areas of Tehran, including facilities associated with the command and control system of Iran’s Khayyam satellite. The military said the attacks were part of a campaign to “deepen the damage to the Iranian regime’s core infrastructure.”
Iranian media reported explosions in Qom, while local reports said a missile attack targeted the western city of Khorramabad. No immediate details were available on the scale of damage or casualties. In Najafabad, local authorities reported 19 fatalities and other injuries in what they described as a U.S.-Israeli attack.
Tensions also spread across the wider region. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone targeting the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh. Kuwait reported intercepting hostile drones aimed at Kuwait International Airport. Qatar intercepted Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles, while Iraq reported a rocket landing inside the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad and another nearby, causing no casualties.
White House officials stated that Iranian attacks on regional countries underscored the need for the ongoing military operation to “end Iran’s threat,” adding that U.S. forces had destroyed Iranian naval capabilities and that Tehran’s attacks had decreased by 90%.
Oman’s foreign minister called for restraint and a return to negotiations, describing the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as “immoral and illegal.” He added that Iran’s retaliation, including strikes on sites in several regional countries, also violated those states’ sovereignty, warning of serious political, economic, and security consequences.
The United Arab Emirates said it does not seek further escalation but reserves the right to take necessary measures to protect its security, describing Iran’s attacks on regional states as “an unjustified act of aggression.”
In Tehran, a member of the Assembly of Experts said the body is working to select a new supreme leader and that delays in the process are undesirable. He added that rumours about the end of voting or the inclusion of specific candidates were false.
