Iran live updates: 7th killed service member is identified

Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, was killed in Saudi Arabia.

ByDavid Brennan, Jon Haworth, Kevin Shalvey, Leah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and Bill Hutchinson ABCNews logo
Last updated: Monday, March 9, 2026 10:00AM CDT
ABC News Live

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

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Feb 28, 2026, 8:33 AM CST

Rubio made rounds to Gang of 8 Friday after classified briefing last week

Sec. Rubio told lawmakers in a Gang of 8 classified briefing last week that President Donald Trump had not made up his mind about potential military action against Iran, two sources told ABC News.

One source said there were still several outstanding questions during last week's briefing including whether this would be a joint military operation and whether the U.S. would be able to coalesce other nations.

Rubio made the rounds on Friday to members of the Gang of 8 to inform them the operation was in fact a go, sources said.

The Gang of 8 is comprised of leaders from both parties from the Senate and House of Representatives and the chairs and ranking minority members of the Senate and House committees for intelligence.

-ABC News' Rachel Scott and Anne Flaherty

Feb 28, 2026, 8:24 AM CST

China condemns US-Israeli attack on Iran

China said it is "highly concerned" over the military strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel on Saturday, calling for an immediate stop to the military action.

"Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected. China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East," a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

-ABC News' Karson Yiu

Feb 28, 2026, 7:50 AM CST

Iran says death toll in strike on elementary school rises to 57

The toll from a strike on a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, has risen to 57 students dead and 60 others injured, according to Iran's semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, which cited the local governor.

Iran claims the school was struck during the U.S.-Israeli military operation on Saturday.

It was unclear whether any teachers had been killed or injured, the Tasnim News Agency reported, citing the Minab governor.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted a photo on X purportedly showing the aftermath of a strike on a girls' elementary school in the south of Iran on Saturday.

Araghchi said the school was "bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils."

"Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone," he added. "These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered."

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

Feb 28, 2026, 7:50 AM CST

Senate should return to Washington and vote on war powers resolution, Sen. Tim Kaine says

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is calling on the Senate to return to Washington immediately to vote on a war powers resolution to check the president's authority to wage war with Iran, calling the military action "idiotic."

"Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East? Is he too mentally incapacitated to realize that we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran that was keeping its nuclear program in check, until he ripped it up during his first term?," Kaine said in a statement Saturday.

"For months, I have raised hell about the fact that the American people want lower prices, not more war-especially wars that aren't authorized by Congress, as required by the Constitution, and don't have a clear objective. These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives," he added.