Satellite image shows damage at supreme leader's compoundpublished at 16:20 GMT 28 February

16:20 GMT 28 February

By Paul Brown

BBC Verify has obtained satellite imagery taken over Tehran this morning, which shows significant damage to part of the compound of Leadership House, the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The high resolution image, captured by Airbus, shows blackened buildings, debris and a column of smoke rising from the site.

The location matches with verified footage filmed in Tehran this morning, showing the aftermath of explosions in the area.

Image source, Airbus DS 2026

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent

Thursday’s push for diplomacy and an 11th-hour dash to Washington by Oman’s foreign minister didn’t halt the start of military action by Israel and America.

In a repeat of last year’s Israeli attack which brought an end to nuclear talks, today’s operations shattered the negotiating track. Oman’s Badr Albusaidi, the main mediator in the indirect and direct discussions, went to Washington with a message that "significant progress" was being made - but they needed "a bit more time".

But President Trump’s clock was counting down. He made that clear last night, saying, "we’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating". Today, Iran’s top negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, told NBC News: "If the Americans want to talk to us they know how to contact us."

A statement from the E3 – Britain, France, and Germany – called for "a resumption of negotiations".

But, after weeks of keeping the world guessing about his goals in Iran, Trump, along with Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, has now made it clear – the end game is not nuclear negotiations, it’s the end of the regime.

The time for talking, at least for now, seems to be over

The government of Dubai's Media Office says "an incident occurred in a building in the Palm Jumeirah area".

Emergency response teams were sent to the scene and the resulting fire is now "under control", according to the office. Four people were injured and have been taken to hospital, it adds.

This follows an earlier eyewitness report, with an image showing smoke in the area, after Iranian state media said an attack had been launched on Dubai.

It's not clear exactly what Iran is targeting, but there is a US military presence in the country.

The Palm Jumeirah is a man-made archipelago known for its luxury hotels.

Katie Williams
Live reporter

I have just spoken with Seb Gibson, who is working as a teacher in Kuwait. He says he heard explosions earlier - "one loud bang" which caused buildings to shake, followed by "three or four smaller ones".

He is based in Mahboula, which is around a 30-minute drive from Kuwait City.

Sirens started going off before he heard the explosions, with warnings in Arabic and English that "something was coming imminently".

He hasn't heard any further explosions since, but says the sirens started going off again a little earlier.

The school he works at is closed for tomorrow, Seb says.

Earlier, a spokesperson for Kuwait's ministry of defence said the Ali Al-Salem airbase had been targeted by Iranian ballistic missile strikes, and local media in Kuwait says that a drone targeted its airport.

Kuwait's Public Authority for Civil Aviation says a drone targeted Kuwait International Airport, causing minor injuries and limited material damage to one of the terminals, according to Kuwait’s official news agency Kuna.

Spokesperson Abdullah Al-Rajhi tells Kuna that the authorities immediately implemented emergency procedures, dealing with the incident and securing the site.

He emphasised that the situation was under control and that the safety of passengers and employees was a top priority, Kuna reports.

Authorities didn't attribute the source of the attack, but Iran has been striking targets across the region in response to joint strikes by the US and Israel earlier today.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have announced a new wave of missile attacks on US bases in the Middle East, AFP news agency report, citing Iranian state TV.

An Israeli military official says "several senior figures" from the Iran regime have been "eliminated" following today's strikes.

The official says three sites where members of the Iranian government were gathered were hit at the same time during the operation.

The attack was planned "over several months", with intelligence identifying "an operational opportunity" when "senior regime officials would convene".

They add that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been in "close co-operation" with the US Army to build a "valuable and extensive" list of targets.

"The IDF is prepared to strike in Iran as required," they say.

We've received a photo from an eyewitness showing a plume of smoke near the Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai, UAE.

Iranian state media has been reporting that an attack has been launched on Dubai. It's not clear exactly what Iran is targeting, but there is a US military presence in the country.

The UAE ministry of defence has said it has intercepted a new wave of Iranian missiles and drones, according to reports from the Emirates News Agency cited by Reuters.

An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council has been called for later on Saturday in New York.

It will be convened at 21:00 UK time (16:00 ET). The meeting was requested by Bahrain, Colombia, China, Russia and France.

It comes after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned "today's military action in the Middle East".

In a statement, he had said that the actions undermine international peace and security and called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities".

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was just live on NBC News as the internet remains down for the majority in Iran.

Araghchi says that Iran “may have lost one or two commanders”. He also says that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is “alive” as far as he is aware.

Iranian outlets have so far denied that a number of Iranian officials and commanders have been killed, including the president and commander-in-chief of the Army.

Araghchi says that Iran is keen on de-escalation and is open to negotiations, provided that the US and Israel cease their attacks.

While saying that there are no communications "right now", Araghchi adds that “if the Americans want to talk to us, they know how they can contact me”.

Iran and the US have been engaged in renewed nuclear talks, with the latest round happening two days ago.Araghchi also confirms that Iran is attacking American bases in the region, but describes it as an act of “self-defence”.

Vinnie O'Dowd
Reporting from the Iranian embassy in London

Image source, Reuters

In central London, crowds and cycle motorcades gathered in celebration at the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the early afternoon.

Revving engines and chants of "Long live Iran, long live Israel" were bellowed out by buoyant Iranians carrying images of Reza Pahlavi (the son of the last Iranian shah, who is exiled in the US and is an opponent of the current Iranian regime).

The former crown prince’s cousin, Davoud Pahlavi, just turned up much to the excitement of the crowd. It appears to be a mainly Pahlavi supporting crowd here.

Some drank homemade Aragh Sagi, an Iranian moonshine distilled from black or white grapes from Shiraz. Others worried about their loved ones, whom they haven't been able to contact since yesterday evening.

Maryam Moshiri
Chief Presenter, BBC News

A group of protesters are gathered outside Downing Street - many are holding the historic Persian Lion and Sun flag, to show their opposition to the current regime.

Some are holding up photos of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran.

There have also been reports of Iranian expats gathering outside the Iranian embassy too, to show support for the latest attacks on Iran by Israel and the US.

Image source, Maryam Moshiri/BBC

Image source, PA Media

The prime minister continues by saying that Iran "can end this now".

He adds that Iran should "refrain from further strikes, give up their weapons programme and cease the appalling violence and repression against the Iranian people".

"This is the route back to the negotiating table," he adds.

Starmer says Britain has a range of defensive capabilities in the region which have been recently strengthened.

He also says that Britain has stepped up protections for British bases and personnel to their highest level.

"We are also reaching out to UK nationals in the region and doing everything we can to support them," he says.

Starmer adds that he has been speaking to leaders in the E3 (UK, Germany, and France) and across the region.

"It is vital we prevent further escalation and return to a diplomatic process," he says and adds that he wants to see "peace and security and the protection of civilian life".

Image source, PA Media

Keir Starmer says that British planes "are in the sky today" in the Middle East "as part of co-ordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies".

We're seeing a televised statement by the prime minister and we'll bring you more from him shortly.

Update 14:50 GMT: The word "values" was replaced with "allies" in the prime minister's quote

The Israeli military says it has "completed a broad strike" on the Iranian regime.

"One of the strikes was directed toward an advanced SA-65 aerial defense system located in the Kermanshah area in western Iran," the IDF says in a statement.

The statement adds: "These strikes were conducted in order to establish and enhance the Israeli Air Force's freedom of operation over Iranian aerial territory, in order to degrade the IRGC's capabilities and to thwart threats toward the home front of the State of Israel."

Image source, EPA

Congressional leaders are beginning to issue statements after the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran overnight in the US.

The US Senate's Majority Leader, John Thune, says Iran's nuclear programme and missile inventory have posed a threat to the US over the years.

"Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns" Thune says in a statement.

"I look forward to administration officials briefing all senators about these military operations."

US looks to have moved as many assets away from direct line of fire as possiblepublished at 14:26 GMT 28 February

14:26 GMT 28 February

Barbara Plett Usher
Reporting from Doha

President Trump warned in his speech about the potential for US casualties, well aware that American public opinion has a low tolerance for any military operation that will bring their troops home in body-bags.

Some 30,000 to 40,000 American troops are normally deployed at 13 US military bases throughout the region, around a quarter of them here in Qatar at Al-Udeid, the headquarters for US Central Command.

The massive American military deployment to the Gulf included extra air defense units, but nothing like Israel’s comprehensive Iron Dome.

It looks as if the US got as many assets out of the direct line of fire as possible: in recent days there have been reports that hundreds of troops were moved out of Al-Udeid [military base].

We’ve also seen satellite images showing empty airfields at the base, as well as the departure of ships from the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.

Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

• The US and Israel have launched joint strikes across Iran prompting retaliatory strikes from Tehran
• Numerous explosions have been heard in cities across Iran including in the capital, where the office of the supreme leader and the presidential office were reportedly targeted
• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said its strikes in Tehran targeted locations where senior political and security figures were gathered

• “The hour of your freedom is at hand,” US President Donald Trump told the people of Iran as footage from Tehran showed huge plumes of black smoke rising above a busy residential area
• Trump said “major combat operations” have started and “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost”
• Further explosions, sirens and columns of smoke have been reported across the Gulf as Iran promised a “crushing response” to the US-Israeli attacks
• Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan all say they are intercepting missiles fired from Iran at US military bases on their territory
• Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported 53 people have been killed after a strike on a girls' school while the UAE says a civilian was killed by falling debris after a strike "involving Iranian ballistic missiles"
• Sirens also continue to ring across Israel as defensive systems try to intercept barrages of missiles from Iran
• The scale of the damage across the region and the scale of casualties still remains unclear. A “near total” internet blackout plus a widespread wave of cyber attacks have been making it challenging to establish the details on the ground in Iran
• World leaders have called for a return to diplomatic solutions and a UK government spokesperson says the country “does not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict”

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned Iran's retaliatory attacks on neighbouring countries after joint strikes from the US and Israel earlier today.

In a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he says: "France, Germany and the United Kingdom have consistently urged the Iranian regime to end Iran's nuclear programme, curb its ballistic missile programme, refrain from its destabilising activity in the region and our homelands, and to cease the appalling violence and repression against its own people.

"We did not participate in these strikes, but are in close contact with our international partners, including the United States, Israel and partners in the region. We reiterate our commitment to regional stability and to the protection of civilian life.

"We condemn Iranian attacks on countries in the region in the strongest terms. Iran must refrain from indiscriminate military strikes. We urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution. Ultimately, the Iranian people must be allowed to determine their future."