The Albany Gazette - Latest developments as Iran lashes out after US-Israel strikes kill Khamenei

Day two of the war -- started Saturday by the United States and Israel with strikes on Iran -- brought escalating danger for commercial ships in the Gulf, especially around the narrow Strait of Hormuz, with two vessels hit.

The United States also said it sank an Iranian warship in the Gulf of Oman.

Here are the latest developments.

- Iran kills 9 in Israel -

Iran strikes on Israel killed at least nine people in the city of Beit Shemesh, first responders said. Another 28 were wounded, the Magen David Adom emergency service said. Police said there was a direct hit on a building.

In the UAE, the defence ministry said three people had died and 58 were wounded since Iran's strikes began the previous day.

In Kuwait, one person was killed and 32 wounded since the start of Iran's retaliation campaign, the health ministry said.

- Sinking oil tanker -

Two ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, one off Oman and the other off the UAE, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said.

Iranian state television said an oil tanker was struck and was sinking after attempting to "illegally" pass through the strait, which Iran's Revolutionary Guards have declared closed.

Major container shipping companies MSC and Maersk suspended navigation in the region, with MSC also asking its vessels to get to "safe shelter" in the Gulf.

- US sinks Iranian warship -

US forces struck and sank an Iranian warship in the Gulf of Oman at the start of its operations against the Islamic republic, the American military said on Sunday.

"An Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was struck by US forces during the start of Operation Epic Fury. The ship is currently sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman at a Chah Bahar pier," US Central Command posted on X

- Iran denies targeting neighbours -

Iran's powerful security chief denied Tehran was targeting its neighbours, insisting its retaliation was aimed at US bases.

Gulf countries were to hold virtual talks late Sunday to discuss a unified response, two Gulf diplomats told AFP.

- 'Shelter in place' -

The UK Foreign Office on Sunday urged British citizens in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE to "shelter in place" and advised against all but essential travel to those countries.

Britain's defence secretary John Healey said Iran's "indiscriminate retaliatory attacks" included "two ballistic missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus", although he added they were likely not targeting the Mediterranean island.

- Israel hits Tehran -

The Israeli army announced "large-scale" strikes targeting the "heart of Tehran" for the second day running.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz also hailed Khamenei's killing as a "turning point in the war".

- Ayatollah tapped for council -

Iran formed an interim leadership council to take over following Khamenei's death.

A mullah, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, was named to sit on it, alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and the head of the judiciary. The body will rule until a new permanent leader is selected.

In a recorded video statement on state TV, Pezeshkian said the council has "started its work".

- Iran retaliates -

Pezeshkian said the killing of Khamenei was a "declaration of war against Muslims", vowing vengeance.

Iranian security chief Ali Larijani then promised to hit the US and Israel with a force never seen before.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed to have attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, but the Pentagon denied that.

AFP correspondents heard blasts in Dubai, east of the Saudi capital Riyadh, across Bahrain's capital Manama and in Qatar.

- US warns citizens in Bahrain -

US officials warned citizens in Bahrain to avoid hotels in the capital Manama while staff at the US embassy to Jordan were told to avoid the embassy compound, citing risks of attacks.

- Deadly protests erupt -

Crowds gathered in Iran's south to call for vengeance following the killing of Khamenei in US and Israeli attacks, Iranian media reported. Similar gatherings took place in Tehran and the central city of Yazd.

Hundreds of protesters in Iraq tried to storm the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad where the US embassy is located.

In Pakistan, nine people were killed as hundreds of protesters tried to storm the US consulate in Karachi.

Several thousand Shia Muslims joined demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir, many chanting anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.

- More deaths announced -

Iran's police intelligence chief Gholamreza Rezaian was killed during US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, Iranian media reported Sunday.

Iran's armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed along with other senior generals in US and Israeli strikes on the country, state TV reported on Sunday.

State TV listed the name of Mousavi along with defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and others.

Iran's judiciary confirmed the chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, and another top security adviser, Ali Shamkhani, were also "martyred" in the strikes.

- UN nuclear agency to meet -

The United Nations' nuclear agency will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the meeting was at the request of Russia, a key ally of Tehran.

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(T.Wright--TAG)