The United States (US) has confirmed that three of its service members have been killed during ongoing military operations against Iran, as the crisis in the Middle East deepens and fears of a wider regional war intensify.
Iranian authorities earlier on Sunday announced the appointment of senior cleric Alireza Arafi as interim Supreme Leader, following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on Saturday.
Arafi, 67, is expected to oversee the leadership transition as Iran presses ahead with retaliatory attacks.
According to the US Central Command, five other American military personnel were injured in the latest strikes.
Iranian state media reported that more than 200 people have been killed since hostilities escalated, while Israeli authorities said at least nine people have died following sustained missile attacks.
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The United States and Israel have continued to strike targets in major Iranian cities, further destabilising the region.
Reports insisted that the conflict has also severely disrupted international travel, with thousands of flights cancelled across the Middle East, a critical hub for global aviation.
Reacting to the killing of Iran’s long-time leader, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the country’s former monarch, said the Islamic Republic was nearing its end.
Writing on X, he said that with Khamenei’s death, the regime would soon be “consigned to the dustbin of history.”
Governments across the world have placed their security services on heightened alert, as diplomatic efforts struggle to contain a conflict that now threatens global stability.