Death toll reaches 165 after strike on Iranian school - state media

(AP) — Iranian state media have reported that the death toll from a strike on a school on Saturday has climbed to 165.

It's not clear which country's forces are responsible for the attack, which amid amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran and that country's retaliatory attacks in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the United States and Israel pounded targets across Iran, bombing the country’s ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships as part of an intensifying military campaign following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Blasts rattled windows across the country and sent plumes of smoke high into the sky above Tehran. More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes that killed Khamenei and other senior leaders, Iranian leaders have said.

Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and at US military installations around the Gulf, and also at the Saudi capital and the global business hub of Dubai. Earlier Sunday, Iran selected a 66-year-old cleric to join the three-member leadership council that will govern the country until a new supreme leader is selected.

A senior White House official says that “new potential leadership” in Iran has suggested they are open for talks with the United States.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said President Donald Trump says he is “eventually” willing to talk, but for now the military operation “continues unabated.”

Here is the latest:

US Soldiers killed in Iran operation were part of logistics unit in Kuwait

The three US service members killed in the operation targeting Iran were Army soldiers who were deployed to Kuwait as part of a unit that oversees supplies and logistics, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The development was reported earlier by NBC News and The Washington Post.

US Central Command on Sunday announced that three service members were killed and five others were seriously wounded. They are the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump said could likely lead to more losses in the coming weeks.

Qatar urges residents to remain indoors

Qatar’s Interior Ministry has urged residents to remain indoors as the war between the US, Israel and Iran enters its third day on Monday.

In a social media post, the ministry called for residents not to get out only for “cases of absolute necessity,” and to stay away from windows and exposed areas.

Qatar, which hosts the US largest military base in the Mideast, is one of the Arab Gulf countries that Iran hit in response to US-Israeli strikes that triggered the war.

6 Gulf states ask Iran to halt attacks on their territories

Top diplomats of six Gulf states called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks on their territories which they said violated their sovereignty and threatened to undermine regional security and stability.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain had a virtual emergency meeting Sunday following the US-Israel strikes on Iran that triggered Iranian barrage of missiles on US bases and other civilian infrastructure, including airports, hotels and in some cases, residential areas. The foreign ministers condemned the attacks they said targeted their territories and Jordan.

The Gulf top diplomats said their countries retain “their legal right to respond and the right to self-defense,” according to international laws.

AP journalists in Beirut jolted awake by explosions

Associated Press journalists in Beirut were jolted awake by a series of loud explosions that shook buildings and caused windows to shatter, while war planes could be heard low overhead as Israel launched a series of strikes in retaliation for missiles fired across the border by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanese government officials had urged Hezbollah not to enter the fray in support of Iran, fearing another damaging war. The country has not recovered from the last Israel-Hezbollah war, which nominally ended with a US-brokered ceasefire in November 2024. Israel has continued to launch near-daily strikes in Lebanon since then, which it said aim to stop Hezbollah from regrouping.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in a statement following the strikes said, “We will not allow the country to be dragged into new adventures, and we will take all necessary measures to apprehend those responsible and protect the Lebanese people.”

Attacks on Iran sends chill through world markets

The US and Israeli attacks on Iran have sent a chill through world markets, with US. futures falling more than 1%. Shares opened sharply lower in Tokyo early Monday and oil prices soared. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 2.3% shortly after the open and shares also fell in Australia.

Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East would slow or grind to a halt.

Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, disrupt the region’s ability to export oil. Prolonged attacks would likely result in higher prices for crude oil and gasoline.

Israel launches airstrikes on Lebanese capital

Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, after the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border early Monday.

It was the first time in more than a year that Hezbollah has claimed a strike against Israel. The Israeli military said it intercepted a projectile that crossed the border, saying that several others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the strikes were carried out in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and for “repeated Israeli aggressions,” describing it as “a legitimate defensive response, and the responsible parties must put an end to the Israeli‑American aggression against Lebanon.”

Oil prices get jolt following Iran attack

Oil prices rose sharply when market trading began late Sunday, as US Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory strikes sent disruptions through the global energy supply chain.

A barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was trading at around US$79 per barrel Sunday night, according to FactSet, up about 8% from Friday.

Traders were betting the supply of oil from Iran and elsewhere in the region could slow or grind to a halt. Attacks throughout the region, including on two vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, could restrict countries’ ability to export oil to the rest of the world. Against that backdrop, countries that are part of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced they would boost production of crude oil.

Higher global energy prices could lead to consumers paying more for gasoline at the pump and shelling out more for groceries and other goods, at a time when many are already feeling the impacts of elevated inflation.

Starmer says UK will not join strikes on Iran

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will not join in strikes on Iran but has agreed to let the US use British bases for attacks on Iran’s missiles and their launch sites.

Starmer said Sunday that Iran was striking at British and its allies’ interests, and “the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source.”

Britain had previously refused to allow the United States to use UK bases to attack Iran.

Starmer said Sunday he was authorizing their use because of the threat from Iran’s attacks on countries across the region. He said “we are not joining these strikes but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region.”

Starmer said Royal Air Force jets have intercepted Iranian strikes as part of defensive operations in the region.

Iran fight could go on for ‘4 weeks or so’

US President Donald Trump has discussed a timeline for the fighting in Iran during a phone interview with a British newspaper.

“We figured it will be four weeks or so,” Trump told the Daily Mail. “It’s always been about a four-week process, so, as strong as it is -- it’s a big country -- it’ll take four weeks, or less.”

The US military said three service members have been killed, the first known American casualties from the conflict. Trump called those killed “great people.”

“You know, we expect that to happen, unfortunately,” Trump told the newspaper. “Could happen continuous — it could happen again.”

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