US and Israel Intensify Sweeping Military Campaign Against Iran as Mojtaba Khamenei Named New Supreme Leader
The United States and Israel have entered the fourth day of a massive joint military operation against Iran, striking nearly 2,000 targets across the country, destroying nuclear facilities, sinking much of the Iranian navy, and decimating the Islamic Republic's missile infrastructure — all while Tehran retaliates with waves of ballistic missiles and drones targeting neighboring Arab states and Israel.
According to Iran International, the Assembly of Experts, under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has selected Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — as the next leader of the Islamic Republic. Khamenei was killed on Saturday, February 28 (9 Esfand), in a targeted strike on his office in Tehran, according to earlier reports confirmed by the outlet.
"Operation Epic Fury": Largest US Deployment in a Generation
Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), released a video update on the operation dubbed "Epic Fury," stating that in fewer than 100 hours, the U.S. military had struck close to 2,000 targets using more than 2,000 munitions.
"More than 50,000 military personnel, 200 fighter jets, two aircraft carriers, and bombers flying from U.S. soil are involved — and more are on the way," Cooper said, as reported by Iran International. "This is the largest deployment and concentration of American forces in the Middle East in a generation."
Cooper said the operation, ordered by President Donald Trump, aims to eliminate Iran's ability to threaten U.S. forces and regional allies. He detailed that B-1 and B-2 bombers had conducted "surgical, unopposed strikes" on missile facilities deep inside Iranian territory, and that on Monday evening alone, a B-52 bomber force struck ballistic missile positions and command-and-control centers.
"We are also in the process of sinking the entire Iranian navy," Cooper stated. "We have destroyed 17 Iranian vessels so far, including Iran's most operational submarine, which now has a hole in its hull. For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping. Today, not a single Iranian ship is moving in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Sea of Oman."
Cooper acknowledged Iran's retaliation, noting the Islamic Republic had launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and over 2,000 drones since the operation began. "Iran is indiscriminately targeting civilians in its launches. However, we are seeing a decline in Iran's capacity to target us and our partners, while our combat power continues to grow," he said.
"My overall operational assessment is that we are ahead of schedule. We have only just begun, but I am fully confident that we, alongside our partners, will absolutely achieve our military objectives," the CENTCOM commander concluded.
Israel Expands Operations: 1,200 Airstrikes, 300 Missile Launchers Destroyed
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday that it had carried out 1,200 airstrikes against Islamic Republic positions, hitting 2,000 targets and destroying 300 missile launch platforms inside Iran, according to Iran International.
In a significant escalation targeting the regime's internal security apparatus, the IDF said it had struck dozens of headquarters belonging to Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (police) and the Basij paramilitary organization, stating the Islamic Republic used these centers "to maintain control over the country." Ground force logistics units, missile launch platforms, and air defense systems were also targeted.
Israel's Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issued a stark warning directed at any future Iranian leader: "Whoever is appointed by the terrorist regime of Iran to continue the program to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States, the free world, and regional countries, and to oppress the Iranian people — will be a clear and explicit target for elimination."
"It doesn't matter what this leader's name is or where he is hiding," Katz wrote on his social media account. "The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act with all means to carry out this mission." He described the directive as "an inseparable part of the objectives of Operation Roar of Lions."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also warned that Israel would intensify its attacks against both the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The IDF said it had struck over 250 positions in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel, prompting some 300,000 residents of southern Lebanon to flee their homes.
The IDF also launched attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut, issuing evacuation warnings to residents near two buildings in the Lebanese capital.
Secret Underground Nuclear Facility Destroyed
Yechiel Leiter, Israel's Ambassador to the United States, revealed that the Israeli military destroyed a covert underground nuclear complex in Iran on Tuesday.
"If we had delayed this operation, the Islamic Republic would have soon reached a point where this impenetrable site could no longer be destroyed," Leiter said, as quoted by Iran International.
"Iranian regime officials intended to produce weapons-grade enriched uranium at this site compatible with a missile delivery system. When you talk about nuclear missiles, you need to combine a delivery system with enriched uranium," the ambassador explained.
Leiter added that the U.S. and Israel had together destroyed "most radar stations in western Iran, as well as ground-to-ground and ground-to-air missile launch platforms."
"On Tuesday in Tehran, we struck the fourth of four command centers — we destroyed three the day before — and this has caused chaos in the ranks of the ayatollah regime," he said. "The U.S. and Israeli strikes have created a gap in the Islamic Republic's chain of command, such that they cannot transmit orders through the system to field levels. This is part of the reason for the turmoil we are now witnessing, including the simultaneous firing of ballistic missiles by the Islamic Republic toward all its neighbors."
Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed, based on the latest available satellite imagery, that entrance buildings to the underground enrichment facility at Natanz had been damaged in the recent strikes, Iran International reported.
Iran Retaliates Against Neighbors; Civilian Casualties Reported
The Islamic Republic has launched retaliatory strikes not only at Israel but at multiple Arab nations in the region, in what U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham called a "massive miscalculation."
According to Iran International's live updates:
- Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced it intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles in al-Kharj in eastern Saudi Arabia, as well as nine drones entering its airspace. Saudi Arabia also intercepted a separate drone.
- Kuwait's military reported intercepting and destroying multiple hostile projectiles in its airspace. Kuwait's Ministry of Health confirmed a girl was killed after shrapnel from a downed projectile fell in a residential area of Kuwait City.
- Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain on Tuesday evening, and explosions were later reported in the capital, Manama.
- The UK Maritime Trade Operations organization reported a projectile striking a commercial vessel 13 kilometers east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, damaging its hull, though the crew was unharmed.
- Iraq's "Islamic Resistance" claimed drone attacks on U.S. bases in Erbil and launched a drone attack on a target in **Jordan** early Wednesday. Two drone strikes hit a U.S. military base and a hotel in Erbil.
- Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF/Hashd al-Shaabi) positions in multiple Iraqi provinces.
Senator Lindsey Graham said Iran's attacks on Arab countries were a "massive miscalculation" and that regional allies are now "more ready than ever to participate directly in confronting the Islamic Republic."
Friendly Fire Incident: Kuwaiti Jet Downs Three US F-15s
In a disturbing incident reported by the Wall Street Journal and cited by Iran International, a Kuwaiti fighter jet accidentally shot down three U.S. F-15 aircraft on Sunday, February 29 (11 Esfand).
According to preliminary reports, a Kuwaiti F/A-18 pilot fired three missiles at the American jets. All three U.S. planes crashed, but the pilots and weapons systems officers successfully ejected and survived.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after an Iranian drone penetrated Kuwait's air defenses and struck a tactical operations center at a commercial port, killing six American service members. Kuwaiti forces, operating under high alert and heightened tension, opened fire on the incoming American jets after their radar systems detected them.
Trump and International Leaders React
President Donald Trump, speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, said that individuals within the Iranian regime have defected and are seeking immunity — "people you wouldn't even expect."
Trump declared that the "worst-case scenario" in Iran would be if someone "as evil as the last person" comes to power. He also announced that more than 9,000 Americans had safely returned home from the Middle East since the military operation began, and urged remaining U.S. citizens in the region to contact the State Department.
Chancellor Merz said the end of the Islamic Republic would be "good news for Iran and the world."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that "the heaviest strikes against the Islamic Republic have not yet begun" and that far more severe blows would be dealt to the Iranian regime in the coming period.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called Democratic opposition to the military strikes "shameful," insisting the attack was "absolutely necessary under current conditions." He urged the Iranian people to "seize this opportunity" to achieve freedom.
"We have no ability or intention for nation-building. We're not doing that. We're not the world's police. America has enough problems of its own," Johnson said. "But I think this is a transformative moment for the people of Iran to stand on their own two feet and take advantage of this opportunity."
Johnson added: "The Iranian regime has killed tens of thousands of its own people in recent weeks. There are still dangerous people in that country, but more than that, there are good people — people who lean toward freedom. This moment is for them."
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) welcomed the joint U.S.-Israeli operation that killed the former Supreme Leader, saying it was a good thing that "one of the most evil people in the world" had been eliminated.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed support for the U.S. and Israeli strikes aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, though he said he held this position "with regret," calling the current conflict "another example of the failure of the international order." He also called for de-escalation in the Middle East.
Evin Prison: Families Sound Alarm Over Inmates' Safety
In a deeply concerning development, families of prisoners held at Tehran's Evin Prison contacted Iran International to express alarm over the safety of their incarcerated relatives amid the ongoing bombardment.
According to these families, inmates across multiple wards are exposed around the clock to the sound of explosions from the bombing of Tehran and are being held in an atmosphere of extreme stress and anxiety. Some prison officials and staff have reportedly abandoned their posts, locking down all wards housing political prisoners and restricting movement between sections.
One family told Iran International that food distribution has stopped in the women's ward and Ward 7, with inmates receiving only limited amounts of bread. The prison commissary has been closed since the attacks began, leaving prisoners unable to purchase food.
Another family relayed messages from inmates saying prisoners have "only dry bread and water" and it is unclear how long they can hold out.
Reza Khandan, a jailed human rights activist, wrote in a letter from Evin Prison that thousands of prisoners are being held "without reason and illegally" under constant threat of bombardment, and that many services have been cut off. He warned that continued warfare could lead to shortages of food rations and hygiene supplies, stating: "This time, no excuse is acceptable."
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, called for the protection of medical facilities in Iran, noting explosions near Motahari Hospital in Tehran and emergency centers in Sarab and Hamedan. "In times of crisis, hospitals are needed more than ever," he said.
Evacuations and Global Repercussions
- China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Wednesday that more than 470 Chinese citizens had been evacuated from Iran.
- The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency government personnel from Pakistan amid updated travel warnings.
- Reuters reported that the Trump administration plans to meet Friday at the White House with executives from major defense contractors including Lockheed Martin and RTX (parent company of Raytheon) to discuss accelerating weapons production to replenish munitions stocks depleted by the Iran campaign and other recent operations.
Ongoing Strikes Across Iran
Reports compiled by Iran International from inside Iran indicated continued strikes and explosions across the country on Wednesday:
- Fighter jets were heard and multiple explosions reported in Tehran and Karaj early Wednesday morning, with at least four powerful blasts in Karaj around 5:51 a.m. and heavy explosions and columns of smoke visible in eastern Tehran.
- Explosions were reported in Shiraz and Isfahan.
- An ammunition depot in Dezful was shown burning in video sent to Iran International following U.S. and Israeli strikes.
- Air defense systems at the IRGC's Salman base in Zahedan activated after drone strikes hit the facility.
- Thick black smoke was seen rising from District 22 of Tehran near Chitgar Lake.
- Social media reports claimed an ammunition depot was hit near a police station in Shahinshahr.
Axios: Netanyahu Tipped Off Trump About Khamenei Gathering
Axios reported, citing three informed sources, that Prime Minister Netanyahu informed President Trump on Monday, February 23 (4 Esfand), that Ali Khamenei and his advisors were gathering in Tehran and could be targeted in an airstrike. Khamenei was killed six days later.
Axios also noted that because the timing of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack was kept secret, many American citizens were caught off guard. After the Islamic Republic began retaliatory strikes in the Persian Gulf region, more than 1,500 Americans filed emergency evacuation requests with the State Department.