Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Iran's Supreme Leader Killed In Strikes; Iran Vows "Heaviest Offensive" Yet After Supreme Leaders's Death; Missile Attack Kills One, Injuries More Than 20 In Tel Aviv. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 01, 2026 - 01:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:37]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciuto in Washington. And we begin once again with breaking news out of the Middle East. Iranian state media has confirmed the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead. Video shows some Iranians cheering the news, even lighting up sparklers as you see there in celebration. In Fars Province, people were seen tearing down a monument as they celebrated the news as well.

President Donald Trump says Khamenei was killed following strikes on Iran Saturday morning. The supreme leader reportedly killed in his compound in the central part of the capital. Iranian state media reports the country's top general and a key adviser to the late supreme leader were also killed. President Trump says that he knows exactly who he wants to lead Iran next, though he did not specify who.

Iran is threatening to retaliate with the heaviest offensive in its history and just in the last hour, it launched a new wave of strikes across the Middle East. CNN teams have heard explosions in several capitals in the region. President Trump is warning Iran to stop. He posted this just a short time ago, saying that if Iranian attacks continue, "We, the United States will hit them with a force that has never been seen before". This comes after in its initial retaliatory strikes, Iran hit U.S. Military bases as well as Israeli population centers and a number of other targets around the region.

CNN's Ivan Watson, he's been tracking those targets from Hong Kong. Julia Benbrook is standing by in West Palm Beach, Florida, near where the president is tonight.

Ivan, we spoke top of last hour as a new wave of Iranian retaliatory strikes were underway. Do you have a sense now of exactly how many targets they've been striking and how extensively?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're still piecing this together. There are reports and we're seeing images of smoke billowing out of the Crowne Plaza Manama Hotel, that's in Bahrain. Reports of explosions in Dubai and Doha as well. And smoke rising from Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, in the north of Iraq, near what is believed to be a U.S. Base near the airport there.

So clearly a wave of strikes as Iran has been vowing revenge after this surprise series of joint U.S. and Israeli attacks, not only successfully killed the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But also several other top officials, including the Head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, that's Major General Mohammad Pakpour, who had replaced his predecessor who'd been killed in airstrikes that took place last June by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, as well as Ali Shamkhani, who was a top aide to the Iranian supreme leader.

We have seen Ali Larijani, now he is Iran's supreme National Security Council secretary, on Iran state television and declaring that there will be a response using language like we will burn the heart of America and Israel as our hearts burned for the supreme leader, vowing revenge. We've seen, yes, signs of celebration even in Tehran at news of the death of Khamenei, but also scenes of supporters of Iran's now deceased top cleric in the streets of Isfahan and in the streets of Tehran as well, showing what a polarizing figure he was after 36 years in power there.

I'd like you to take a listen to what we believe is one of his last public addresses, this is on February 17th, and listen to kind of some of the language that he was using. Then take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI KHAMENEI, SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN (voiceover): We must have deterrent weapons. If a country does not have deterrent weapons, it will be crushed under the feet of its enemies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:05:04]

WATSON: And the crowd there later chanted, death to America, death to Britain. You know, that is kind of a hallmark of the rhetoric of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Part of why it is loathed so much by government, the U.S -- successive U.S. Governments, and Israel as well. But, you know, what we've seen with successive waves of U.S. and Israeli bombardments all across Iran is complete air superiority. It doesn't seem like there's much response at all coming from Iranian air defenses. And we also have seen just how few friends Khamenei had in his last hours, Jim.

I mean, Iran had been supplying Russia with Shahed killer drones that have been used to lethal effect in Ukraine over the course of the last several years. Where has the Kremlin been? Where has Moscow been? Iran's network of Islamist militias across the Middle East.

We have not yet seen any kind of retaliatory measures from Hezbollah, which has been kneecapped by the Israeli military since 2024. In Lebanon, they successfully killed Hezbollah's leader in their bombing campaign there. The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was wiped out by rebels there several months later. Iran had propped up that government for years of a grinding civil war. The Houthis of Yemen have threatened to attack vital sea trade routes

through the Red Sea. But we have not seen any movement there yet. We have seen cargo ships dramatically reduce their movements through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has a vital hold over. And we have seen the airspace over Gulf countries shut down as Iran has attacked airports in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain as well as Qatar.

So there is movement, civilian movement and transport that has ground to a halt both in the air and on the sea in these first hours of this new conflict. And we'll just have to see how much more it may expand and continue to paralyze travel and transport through the region. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Ivan Watson, thank you. Julie Benbrook with President Trump in Florida. Of course, we have this latest social media post yet. One more threat from President Trump for further U.S. Military action. What more are we learning about U.S. plans going forward?

JULIE BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, just moments ago he took to social media, to his truth social to post this. And that has been his primary form of communication with the American people since these strikes started. We saw him post that eight-minute video and then we saw an update that Iran's Supreme Leader or the Ayatollah, had been killed. Those all coming through social media.

And I do want to pull up this latest post for you and read it in full. This is in response to Iran wanting to seek revenge here, saying Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they ever have been -- they have ever hit before. And then he wrote in all caps, they better not do that however, because if they do, they -- we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before.

It's been nearly 24 hours now since Trump from his Mar-a-Lago estate with top national security officials monitor those U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran. And we saw a photo released by the White House of that. He is there wearing his white USA hat. We know that in the room were Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and others. And then we saw that eight-minute video where Trump announced that this had happened. He also encouraged the Iranian people to seize control of their government once U.S. Military operations had concluded. Take a listen to his message directly to the people of Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.

This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America's help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BENBROOK: Trump has said that this operation Epic Fury, would continue

throughout the week or as long as he deemed necessary. Essentially. We've heard a couple of different timetables on what he is expecting, but we do expect it to last for several days. And this comes after those diplomatic efforts seem to fail.

[01:10:11]

We saw several rounds of high stakes talks between the United States and Iran. Those were led on the U.S. side by special envoy Steve Witkoff as well as Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. And the latest round took place in Geneva on Thursday. And when that concluded, it was clear that there was still a significant gap between the United States and Iran when it came to these nuclear negotiations.

And now we are where we are. We will see what happens next. But again, the latest is Trump posting on social media just saying that Iran better not escalate further or they will face repercussions.

SCIUTTO: Well, dueling threats from all sides at this point. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, Julie Benbrook down in Florida, thanks so much.

I do want to go now to one of the cities that has been targeted during by these Iranian retaliatory strikes. That is Doha in Qatar. CNN's Bijan Hosseini joins me now. Bijan, can you tell us what you've been seeing and witnessing in the last hour there?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes. Hey, Jim. We witnessed the first round of strikes from this morning that happened a little less than two hours ago. Loud bangs in the air, what we think were air defense missile systems more dispersed than what we witnessed yesterday.

Yesterday we witnessed around a dozen rounds strikes coming in. The Ministry of Interior coming out last night saying that they reported 65 missiles and 12 drone strikes from Iran, which they say they intercepted 63 of those and 11 of those drones. They've also confirmed that there are 16 injuries and they're citing limited material damage. I just want to take a moment that, you know, this is the start of the working week here in Doha and usually it would be packed right now. This road around me would be gridlocked. But it is very quiet for a Sunday morning.

We received alerts on our phone from the National Emergency Alert System a little less than an hour ago reminding people to shelter in place, to stay inside unless absolutely necessary. And I have to say we're just now hearing that there is another wave on its way. We haven't seen or heard that yet, but we will be asked to shelter here shortly as another missile wave is being reported on its way here to Doha.

SCIUTTO: Take care of your team first because if one is coming, I want you to get in a shelter. But just briefly before you go, what are Qatar's air defenses? Are they -- are they Qatari or are they also protected because of course, the U.S. has its largest base in the region there. Is it a combination of Qatari and U.S. Missile defenses that are helping take some of these incoming missiles down?

HOSSEINI: Yes. As you mentioned, you know, the eluded air base is the U.S. largest air base in the Middle East That is just 20 kilometers southwest of us. So obviously West Bay here where we are a very popular commercial and residential area. We saw some of those air defenses happening above us. What we expect were on their way to El Udait Air Base.

We do believe that there are Patriot air defense systems here on the ground. That's from the U.S. obviously, Qatar and the U.S. have a very strong working relationship and they have been working to defend these attacks from Iran.

SCIUTTO: Well, keep your team safe there. Bijan Hosseini in Doha, thanks so much.

Iran, as we've been reporting, is now responding in an additional wave to the massive U.S. And Israeli strikes continue as well that, among other things, killed the Supreme Leader. Still ahead, what an expert has to say about the potential impact of the ongoing violence regionally. What happens next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:17:39]

SCIUTTO: Well, despite its formidable air and missile defenses, one missile appeared to get through in Tel Aviv. One person dead, more than 20 injured after a strike in the Tel Aviv area. Israel's National Emergency Service says a woman approximately 40 years old died. Another person seriously injured. 19 more people moderately injured, including at least three children.

Joining us now, Ambassador Alon Pinkas. He's live from Tel Aviv. He's the former Israeli Consul General in New York.

First of all, tell us what you're seeing and hearing there now, because I know there have been a series of air raid signals there as Iranian missiles have come in. Are you in a quiet period right now?

AMB. ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAEL CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Yes, relatively quiet period. Jim, good morning. There was a series of sirens from about 6:00 a.m. Israel time to 7:30, roughly about four or five successive sirens. I did not hear any interceptor activity or any missiles that struck, at least not in the central Tel Aviv area. I'm right across the street from the Defense Ministry and the IDF headquarters, so I haven't seen or I haven't heard rather any activity coming out for there. But last night, that missile that you just mentioned, that, that shook the entire building from where I'm speaking to you. Yes.

SCIUTTO: Let's talk about next steps if we can.

PINKAS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Is there an off ramp here? Right. Or -- or are Israel and the U.S. in it to win it, in effect, in it to carry this right up to and including bringing down the Iranian regiment?

PINKAS: Well, okay, so I'm not sure, Jim, that there is necessarily a compatibility between Israel and the U.S. here, because the U.S. and we know how Trump's modus operandi is, and we know how erratic he is. In four -- four days from now, and I'm just throwing a number at you. Four days from now, he can announce victory and walk away. And from an Israeli perspective, that's entirely -- there's an entirely different scenario.

Now, there's no off ramp for the one reason, Jim, and that is I don't think either side is either the U.S. And Israel are looking for an off ramp. Both have been very boastful and, you know, and explicit in saying regime change.

[01:20:12]

However, if you look at history, there isn't one instance in which a regime change was induced or precipitated from the air. You do not bomb a country into a regime change. You can weaken it, you can degrade its military, you can damage its infrastructure. And as for the off ramp, I can see escalation before we even begin discussing off ramps. And by escalation, I mean a heightened Iranian last ditch out of desperation. Call it what you want.

Salvo into not just the Gulf states but oil infrastructure, the closure of the Hormuz Strait from which 20 or 20 plus percent of the oil flows to the world's consumption of oil comes from the Gulf, 20 percent of which comes through the Hermosa. And American ships.

I don't know what their capabilities are. The Iranian capabilities are. So I don't see an off ramp at this point.

SCIUTTO: You have written in the past that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to push, manipulate President Trump into a major war over the course of last year. Is that what you see took place here?

PINKAS: Absolutely. I mean, you know, everyone likes to be proven right and feel vindicated on and I'm sorry, I am at this point, but that's exactly what happened. Mr. Netanyahu has been prodding Trump on Iran ever since. He did not convince him, but helped push him into leaving the original Iran nuclear deal, the so-called JCPOA in May 2018.

Then Mr. Netanyahu promised Trump that if he only imposes so called crippling sanctions, the Iranians will come crawling, begging for a better deal. Well, they didn't.

Then came June 2025, just eight months ago, in which Mr. Netanyahu convinced Trump to join an attack on Iran, saying this will change the military. I'm sorry, this will change the Middle East landscape from both the military and political perspective in a historical way and on a scale that we've never seen before. Well, that hasn't happened even though Iran has been severely weakened.

And since June of 2025, recall Jim, as many of our viewers do, that Netanyahu said history just changed. This is in June 25 and Trump said we obliterated Iran's nuclear program. Well, what happened in the last eight months that the obliteration was de-obliterated.

Obviously, something one of these gentlemen or both these gentlemen were not being truthful. And I think that ever since June 25, Netanyahu has been pushing Trump to wage a big war. And after the removal of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, I am sure that the tone of the conversation was you've done things that no president has done before. Look at the cost. It was minimal. Let's do this together and change the region and indeed the world in a dramatic way. This is what we're seeing now. Yes.

SCIUTTO: Well, and still an open question as to what the cost will be. Alon Pinkas, appreciate you joining and please stay safe.

PINKAS: We could talk politics. We could talk politics and we don't have time. But there's that -- there is a double wag the dog scenario here.

SCIUTTO: All right. Well, listen, stay safe, my friend. Appreciate the conversation.

PINKAS: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: As -- as we noted, this is not over. Iran is vowing to retaliate after U.S. and Israeli strikes. And in fact, it is. We're seeing that underway now. We'll have more right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:27:]44

SCIUTTO: Iran's semiofficial Tasnim News Agency says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched a quote, "six wave" of attacks on Israel and on U.S. bases in the region as well as other cities. We do want to bring you these images from Tehran, new ones, video from social media, geolocated by CNN shows thousands of protesters gathered in the center of the capital Sunday morning.

The crowd there waving the Iranian state flag, raising their fists chanting, death to America. This comes the day after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials were killed in the airstrikes. Iran is now promising to respond with "the heaviest offensive operations in its history".

President Donald Trump posted a short time ago on social media that if Iran follows through on that threat, the U.S. will, quote, "hit them with a force that has never been seen before." This video geolocated by CNN shows what appears to be a new Iranian attack on Dubai, the smoke there rising from Dubai's international airport.

We are also hearing reports of explosions in Doha, in Qatar, in Bahrain, and in Erbil, Iraq, where the U.S. Has a military base. CNN State Department reporter Jennifer Hansler joins me now from Washington. What are you hearing from State Department officials about the status of U.S. Military strikes? JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Jim, at this

point, there does not seem to be ongoing U.S. Military strikes right now. However, that prospect is still very much on the table. This is something that the President, even before his most recent post, had warned that they would continue what he called these heavy pinpoint bombings for the coming days or potentially indefinitely until he achieved what he called peace in the Middle East.

So this is likely to be an ongoing military back and forth between Iran and U.S. and Israeli forces. Now, of course, this comes, Jim, amid wider concerns about this spiraling out of control. We are already seeing the countries within the region that are hosting U.S. bases being targeted by Iran in these waves of retaliatory strikes. And it is unclear if there is any sort of diplomatic off ramp that is being considered or worked on right now.

[01:30:07]

Secretary of State Marco Rubio last night spoke with his G7 counterparts on the phone. We don't have a good readout from the U.S. yet, but the Italians said that they were working to try to stem this from becoming a broader conflict.

Notably, Jim, Trump said that he believes that these strikes have made it easier to return to diplomacy. He thinks that qoute, "It's much easier now than it was a day ago". That's what he told CBS yesterday. However, it is very hard to believe that Iran is going to be coming back to the negotiating table anytime soon as this military action continues.

And we did hear from one of the key surviving Iranian leaders just a short while ago who said that they are going to stab the U.S. in the heart, Jim.

SCIUTTO: You know, not the language of diplomacy. Jennifer Hansler, thanks so much.

I do want to go to our colleague Paula Hancock. She's in Dubai. Of course, Dubai is one of the cities that has been targeted in Iranian retaliation, retaliatory strikes. Paula, tell us what you're seeing and hearing there.

PAULA HANCOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, just In the last 10, 15 minutes, we have heard a barrage above us. We have seen a number of interceptions above the bureau here in Dubai. So it really has been quite a continual set of incoming from Iran this morning.

We have just driven up here from Abu Dhabi and as were driving, we drove past Jabal Ali. This is the major commercial port and we could see thick black smoke rising from an area within that port as we were driving.

Now, we are not clear whether or not that was damage that was caused from an interception of one of these incoming missiles or drones. But certainly, there has been some damage there. We've seen that a number of hours ago as well. This is really an area that is a commercial hub. We've heard from the Iranian side, we've heard through state

affiliated Media, quoting the IRGC saying that this is U.S. Military targets across the Middle East that are being targeted, that this is the sixth wave, as they put it, of these targets. But what we are seeing here, that Dubai is a commercial and tourist hub. So certainly, this is a city that is very unaccustomed to waking up to seeing black smoke on the horizon. The roads were very quiet.

Now, of course, it is Sunday morning. It is also Ramadan, but the road from Abu Dhabi was far quieter than I have ever seen it. Shabbat, my cameraman was saying that he remembers the last time it was like that was during COVID So it just shows that people are taking these warnings seriously, that people are staying inside for the most part.

This stay in shelter. Shelter in place order is still ongoing across the UAE and across much of the Gulf. We know that earlier this morning there were also more interceptions in Doha. We know also in Bahrain. So this is an ongoing onslaught from Iran.

And we've been hearing statements from the governments of these Gulf nations. They're furious that they are being targeted in this way. Before the U.S.-Israeli strikes took place in Iran, they had said for the most part that their bases, that the U.S. Military use in their countries could not be used for this purpose. Some of them had said that their airspace could not be used for this attack.

We know that the diplomacy behind the scenes was intense here, the trying to convince the U.S. President not to go ahead with this attack. And now they are being targeted by Iran. So we have heard some angry words from the governments of the Gulf nations that Tehran is targeting them in this way. But we're certainly, especially here in Dubai, seeing no let up in the amount of incoming at this point. Jim?

SCIUTTO: Paula, has that incoming change the position of America's allies in the region? Because at least publicly, the reporting prior to these attacks was that they were encouraging restraint by the U.S. and perhaps encouraging the U.S. to stay on the diplomatic path as opposed to the military path. Has this now flipped the script and are they on board with military strikes at this point?

HANCOCK: Not publicly. You're unlikely to hear this very publicly from the leaders here. I mean, the sorts of statements that are coming out. Saudi Arabia, for example, we know that there have been missiles heading into Riyadh as well in the Eastern province. They have called on -- they have said that they have their strongest condemnation.

[01:35:07]

Qatar is calling it a flagrant violation of its national sovereignty. The UAE condemning and denouncing. But we are not publicly hearing that allegiances are shifting or that support is strong or even in place for these attacks on Iran. They were very vocal about the fact that they did not believe that this was the way forward.

We heard from these Gulf nations, and in particular of course Oman being the main mediator between the U.S. and Iran, that diplomacy was the way forward. We know that there were constant calls behind the scenes meetings, behind the scenes lobbying of the U.S. President to try and prevent this from happening.

Now, of course, there may be changes in heart now, changes of heart now they are becoming a target of Iran as well. But it's unlikely you're going to hear that publicly.

SCIUTTO: Paula Hancock, stay safe there. Appreciate you joining and we'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: There were heated arguments among diplomats from Israel, the U.S. and Iran at an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Saturday, Iran's ambassador called the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks unprovoked, saying those attacks targeted and killed hundreds of civilians.

[01:40:09]

Israel's UN Ambassador said it acted to confront an existential threat, stressing the hostile actions of Iranian leaders. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, is calling for an immediate ceasefire, saying the hostilities could lead to a wider conflict that could further destabilize the region.

Joining us now, Stephen Erlanger, New York Times chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe. He's based in Berlin. Stephen, thanks so much for joining this evening. This morning, your time.

STEPHEN ERLANGER, CHIEF DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT IN EUROPE, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Can you describe first the reaction in European capitals to these joint strikes on Iran?

ERLANGER: Well, I would call them ambivalent. They have long tried to restrain Iran, as you know. I mean, the Europeans were the first to start a process to deal with Iran's nuclear program that led to the agreement in 2015 that Trump pulled out of. They've obviously, you know, been victims themselves of Iranian terrorism. They have urged Iranian restraint, but they have not thrown their full support behind this war because it is really undeclared.

It may have been felt preventative to Israel, but not to the United States. They have been urging deescalation and negotiation, a return as fast as possible to diplomacy. It's not like they're criticizing openly the United States and Israel, but they're certainly not supporting -- openly supporting this war.

SCIUTTO: Let me talk about diplomacy for a moment because if you are a remaining Iranian official, senior who's still alive, right, given that many are not, are you interested in negotiating? I mean, do you believe you can negotiate, right, with the U.S. or might your life be in danger? It's just a practical question.

ERLANGER: Well, it's a practical question. It's also a serious question because this is the second time that President Trump has interrupted what Iran thought were ongoing diplomatic negotiations to bomb the country. So, if you're, you know, a surviving Iranian official of the regime, you're not going to trust Donald Trump at all. You certainly don't trust Israel.

There could be what emerges, who knows? I mean, Ayatollah Khamenei was 86, so the idea of succession was hardly a brand new one. We'll see what emerges. One could end up, I hope, with a more collaborative government that is more willing down the road to talk. But it's very hard to imagine diplomacy right now unless the regime completely collapses and then you have chaos. So, it is hard to imagine, I have to say.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Is it clear to you that the U.S. and Iran are on the same page as to the ultimate objective of these military strikes? Because Iran -- Israel, rather seems to want to bring the regime down, right?

ERLANGER: Yes.

SCIUTTO: But it's not clear President Trump's still talking about at least the possibility of talking with members of the regime.

ERLANGER: Right. Right. Well, Trump keeps talking about, you know, the nuclear issue, and then a lot of his officials were taking Israel's point, which were about limiting ballistic missile ranges and ending support for the proxies.

Now, the regime has been hit so very hard, it's hard to know what's going to happen. Obviously, we're still in the middle of a war, and one has to be careful about predictions, let alone prophecies. But I think Israel is served by a weak Iran that is divided in itself, that is worried about its own rule, that is less interested in the outside world.

I think Israel would be very happy with a broken Iran, a chaotic Iran, no matter what actually runs it. And I think the -- the United States aim, as you say is much vaguer to me.

Trump would like regime change, but it's hard to imagine, unless there are combat troops on the ground, that the Iranian people will be able to overthrow what remains of this regime, which is not destroyed yet, by the way, so far as we know.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Multi layered system, right. And much of it remains. Stephen Erlinger.

ERLANGER: Yes. And they had 47 years to build it. Sorry.

[01:45:06]

SCIUTTO: Yes, yes. Fair points all. Stephen Erlanger, appreciate you joining.

ERLANGER: Thank you, Jim. SCIUTTO: Still to come tonight, Iranian media claims that dozens of

girls were killed during the early Saturday attacks. We're going to have a look at the latest we know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Iranian state media has been reporting that dozens of students were killed in the midst of the Israeli-U.S. Airstrikes on Saturday. This strike hit a girl's school in southern Iran. A Local prosecutor says 148 people were killed, 95 others wounded. Saturday is the first day of the school week in Iran. The school is located quite close to an Iranian military base. A U.S. Military spokesman says that the U.S. is taking all precautions to minimize the risk of unintended harm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE KAZEROUNI, SUPPORTS MILITARY OPERATION IN IRAN: When is the last time you saw people in Israel and Iran dancing on the streets in excitement? And when is the last time you've ever heard of a country coming out and dancing because they're excited that foreign powers are attacking them and that country is Iran, whose official government statement is death to Israel, death to America. But the Iranian people have made it absolutely clear that they're ready for regime change. They want freedom in Iran and they want the rest of the world not to abandon them because we're almost at the finish line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:50:27]

SCIUTTO: That's taking place in Los Angeles. In fact, people in many U.S. cities as well as other cities abroad took to the streets to celebrate, but also some of them condemned military action in Iran. This was the scene in London where people were dancing in the streets waving Iranian flags, not the flags of the Islamic Republic, we should note. A different scene in New York where a large group of demonstrators condemned the strikes.

People held signs that said stop the war in Iran as well as Trump must go. Two very different scenes playing out in many places with people celebrating the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, others opposing the U.S.- Israeli military operation.

We do want to share these images from Tehran. Video from social media Geo located by CNN shows protesters gathered in the center of the capital on Sunday morning. This particular crowd waving the flag of the Islamic regime and chanting death to America.

The Middle East's longest serving head of state is now dead. For nearly four decades, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled Iran with an iron fist. As the supreme leader, he oversaw the expansion of Iran's regional influence, also attempts to expand its nuclear program. His English language X account posted a tribute earlier. It cited a verse from the Quran which said in part quote, "Among the faithful are men who fulfill what they have pledged to Allah." CNN's Nick Robertson has more on the rise and fall of Iran's longest

serving ayatollah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): He was once the most powerful cleric in the world. Iran's supreme leader is head of state and commander in chief, Ayatollah Ali Hossein Khomeini, the country's undisputed religious and political authority for nearly 40 years. Rarely compromising with Iran's archenemy, the U.S. but also a master tactician who empowered hardline supporters inside Iran to the detriment of moderates and reformers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ali Khamenei was really an accident of history. He's someone who when he was named Supreme Leader in 1989, people had very low expectations of him.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Khamenei was an activist before the Islamic Revolution, helping organize protests against the Shah and serving time in prison for it. He was a student and close associate of Ayatollah Khamenei, the charismatic figure who led Iran after the Shah was toppled. He was also a target for the regime's opponents and escaped an assassination attempt in 1981 that left his right arm paralyzed.

Not long afterwards, he was elected president on a platform deeply hostile to the west and its comparatively liberal ideology, especially to the United States, threatening a hard fight should there ever be a war between the two rival nations.

AYATOLLAH RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI, FORMER SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN: We in Norway are willing to start an all out war with the United States, but if it so happens, we will inevitably put up a very strong defense.

ROBERTSON: When Khomeini died in 1989, Khomeini became his successor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had enormous shoes to fill the shoes of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, the father of the revolution. But he died one of the most powerful men in Iran over the last two centuries. He was someone who had amassed tremendous power. He is not only one of the most powerful men in Iran, but I would argue one of the most powerful men in the Middle East.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): 2009 brought about the first real challenge to his rule. Demonstrations claiming elections had been rigged. Khamenei met it with force. Widespread arrests and calls for unity.

KHOMEINI: Arm wrestling in the streets is not the right thing to do after the elections. I want everyone to put an end to this. If they don't stop this, then the consequences, the rioting and everything, they will be held accountable for all.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Again and again his regime face calls for moderation. In 2022, the 22-year-old Masha Amini died after being arrested by the so-called morality police. And the Woman Life Freedom movement swept the country. His support for Iran's nuclear energy program and missile programs defied much of his country's relations with the west, whose governments feared Iran would develop nuclear weapons. Under Khomeini, Iran's influence extended into Iraq after Saddam Hussein's ouster.

[01:55:24]

Tehran also became a major player in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. And yet, in the wake of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, he saw Iran's regional influences collapse.

Israel's devastating attacks in Lebanon neutered Iran's most powerful proxy force, Hezbollah. And a lightning offensive by Syria's rebels saw another steadfast ally, dictator Bashar all right-Assad, flee for the safety of Moscow presaged perhaps the most devastating blow yet. In June 2025, Iran and Israel launch what would become a 12-day war. Tehran attacking Tel Aviv with long range missiles and the U.S. joining Israel in bombing Iran's nuclear facilities.

In just a few short years, Khomeini entire security strategy seemingly collapsed. Billions spent on proxy forces, missile and nuclear development vanished. Khomeini tried to put a brave face on it.

KHOMEINI (voicever): You know my you son, you know, that they are desperate. In the 12-day war, they received such slaps that they couldn't believe it. They hadn't anticipated it. They became desperate. This person, Trump, went to boost their morale. He went to pull them out of despair.

ROBERTSON (voiceover): Khomeini's legacy is yet to be written, overreach. Burying the aspirations of the Iranian people in a region whose geopolitics were being upended and a theocratic government trying to stick to old ideals, failing to adapt to the 21st century.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Our thanks to Nic Robertson. I'm Jim Sciuto in Washington. Our breaking news coverage is back in just a few minutes with my colleague Becky Anderson. Please do stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)