Trump seeks Iran leadership transition as report points to talks

President Donald Trump said the bombing campaign against Iran will continue until its objectives are achieved, calling on the nation’s leaders to capitulate as a report indicated at least one top official in Tehran sought to resume nuclear talks with the U.S.

Trump on Sunday re-confirmed the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and said the U.S. and Israel had struck hundreds of targets in Iran including Revolutionary Guard facilities and air defenses. The U.S. military’s Central Command announced Sunday that three U.S. service members were killed and five “seriously wounded” during operations against the Islamic Republic, but gave no further details.

Trump, who won the presidency by promising not to endanger American troops in the Middle East, called their deaths part of “the righteous mission” in a video posted on social media. “There will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is.”

“Combat operations continue at this time in full force and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,” Trump added, without elaborating on the objectives. He called on Iranian military and police to surrender “for full immunity or face certain death.”

Trump said he has agreed to talk with Iran’s new leadership, The Atlantic reported, citing a conversation with him. In a brief interview with the New York Times on Sunday, Trump said the assault on Iran could last “four or five weeks” while calling on Iran’s generals to either hand power to the nation’s people or embrace a model similar to Venezuela, whose new leader has been compliant with US demands after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro.

“What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Trump told the newspaper. He added that he had “three very good choices” to lead Iran, without elaborating.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian security chief Ali Larijani has made a fresh push to resume nuclear talks with Washington through Omani mediators. Larijani, chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said earlier that a temporary leadership council would meet Sunday as the nation moves to determine a successor to Khamenei.

Asian shares fell 1.3% and U.S. equity-index futures declined 0.6%, paring earlier losses as the reports pointed to a possible way forward. The U.S. dollar gained against major peers in early trading, while the Australian dollar and South African rand led risk-sensitive currencies lower. Brent crude oil surged as much as 13% before paring gains, while gold was around 1% higher.

The war spread across the Middle East on Sunday, as Iran sent waves of missiles at targets in multiple countries that host U.S. military facilities. Iranian projectiles struck buildings in Tel Aviv, while defenses in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait intercepted incoming fire.

Nearly all civilian air traffic is closed across the Gulf after Dubai’s main airport, the world’s busiest aviation hub, was hit over the weekend. Dubai landmarks including the luxury Palm Jumeirah island and Burj Al Arab hotel incurred damage during a series of blasts that shook the financial hub. Skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi were also damaged.

The conflict has reverberated across global energy markets. OPEC+ on Sunday agreed to resume production increases next month to counter an expected further rally in crude prices, which have already gained almost 20% this year. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit for oil and gas linking the Persian Gulf to the open sea, was described by Iran’s Tasnim news agency as being practically shut, with tankers increasingly avoiding the waterway. Two ships were reportedly struck around the coast of Oman.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country has no intention of closing the route. He told told Al Jazeera that Iran is capable of defending itself and doesn’t expect anyone to intervene on its behalf. Oman, which acted as mediator in the nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran that preceded the war, said Tehran is open to “serious efforts” that contribute to de-escalation.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed “revenge and retribution” for Khamenei’s death, while other officials vowed to intensify the country’s military response. Tehran confirmed Khamenei’s death on Saturday, saying the government will observe 40 days of national mourning for the 86-year-old ruler, who was killed in his office compound. Iran said more than 200 people have been killed in strikes on its territory.

Khamenei didn’t publicly designate a successor, and the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for selecting the supreme leader, is required to appoint a new one. In the interim, a council comprising the president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council assumes the leader’s duties.

Videos from inside Iran flooded social media following news of the death, showing crowds dancing and chanting in the streets in celebration. Other clips showed mourners. In Pakistan, at least nine pro-Iranian protesters were killed on Sunday in clashes with police as they tried to storm the gates of the U.S. consulate in Karachi.

Speaking on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s forces are striking Tehran “with increasing strength, and this will only increase even more in the coming days.” Iran-backed Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, said it delivered strikes on neighboring Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader. In response, the Israel Defense Forces said it is striking targets in Lebanon.

The prospect of a weeks-long regional war is a nightmare scenario for U.S. allies in the Gulf such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. They pushed hard for Iran and the U.S. to agree to a diplomatic solution over Tehran’s nuclear activities, fearing the chaos and flight shutdowns now unfolding could hit their economies and deter tourists as well as foreign investment.

Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE leadership, urged Iran via X to “return to your senses,” warning that the Islamic Republic is now isolated at a critical time. The UAE, which also announced fatalities from the Iranian attacks, on Sunday said it will shut its embassy in Tehran. Logistics giant DP World temporarily suspended operations at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai, according to a notice sent to customers and seen by Bloomberg. The UAE said the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia summoned Iran’s ambassador in response to what it called “blatant” attacks which targeted the kingdom.

Israel estimates its strikes destroyed hundreds of Iranian ballistic missiles and knocked out about half of the nation’s launchers, an Israeli military official said. About 200 of Iran’s missile launchers were destroyed and dozens more rendered inoperable, the official said, asking not to be identified discussing sensitive information.

Trump also said on social media earlier Sunday that U.S. forces sank nine Iranian naval vessels and that the headquarters of Iran’s navy was “largely” destroyed in a separate attack. The U.S. successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drones, Central Command said in a statement.

U.S. targets in Iran included included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defenses, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields, according to Centcom. Israel said the IRGC’s commander, Mohammad Pakpour, was killed.

Iranian media reported strikes on military and civilian sites, including one that killed over 140 people at a school in Hormozgan. Several large explosions have been reported in Tehran, the capital.

Trump said the military operation was required after Iran refused to renounce nuclear weapons, which Tehran has repeatedly said it isn’t pursuing. The most recent round of talks took place on Thursday.

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(With assistance from Eltaf Najafizada, Dana Khraiche, Galit Altstein, Leen Al-Rashdan and John Bowker.)