US-Iran war as it happened: Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba Khamenei named new Supreme Leader; Acid rain falls in Tehran; Almost $90 billion wiped off ASX; Iran death toll rises

Welcome to our live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. Here’s the latest from the Middle East.

• Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran’s new leader. US President Donald Trump was unhappy with the appointment, according to Fox News. Israel has previously pledged to kill any new leader who threatens the US or Israel, or oppresses the Iranian people.
• Global sharemarkets have tumbled as the price of oil soared as high as $US114 ($162) a barrel and Iranian forces continue to limit oil tanker shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The ASX closed down 2.85 per cent.
• The United Nations estimates the death toll in Iran has surpassed 1300. In Lebanon more than 300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, the country’s health minister said. In Israel at least 12 have been killed and seven US military personnel have died in the conflict. At least six Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in recent days.
• Australia could help Gulf states protect themselves from Iranian attacks, but Australian troops won’t participate in a ground offensive, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
• The Israeli military said it struck and “destroyed” the headquarters of Iran’s air force in Tehran. Israeli and American airstrikes also hit key fuel depots in Tehran.

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the United States’ and Israel’s war on Iran. This live blog is now closed, but our coverage is continuing here.

• Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has been named Iran’s new leader. US President Donald Trump was unhappy with the appointment, and said he wouldn’t last long. An Israeli official previously pledged to kill any new leader who threatened the US or Israel. Iranian state TV also referred to Khamenei as being wounded in the war when announcing him as the new leader.
• Global sharemarkets have tumbled as the price of oil soared to $US116 (before settling just over $US100), and Iranian forces continue to limit shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
• The ASX closed down 2.85 per cent after suffering its worst day in 11 months as $80 billion was wiped off the index.
• The United Nations estimates the death toll in Iran has passed 1300. In Lebanon, more than 300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, the country’s health minister said. In Israel at least 13 have been killed and seven US military personnel have died in the conflict. At least six Palestinians have been killed by Israelis in recent days.
• As long as Iran is attacked by Israel and the US, there is no sense in talking about a ceasefire or “anything but defence and retaliation”, the Islamic Republic’s foreign affairs spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said, according to a Reuters report.
• Australia could help Gulf states protect themselves from Iranian attacks, but Australian troops will not participate in a ground offensive, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
• The Israeli military said it had struck and destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s air force in Tehran. Israeli and American airstrikes hit key fuel depots in Tehran.

A man in his 40s has been killed by an Iranian missile strike in central Israel, emergency service Magen David Adom said on X.

The death comes after an 8.08pm (AEDT) alert by the Israel Defence Forces on Telegram warned that an Iranian missile strike had been detected heading for Israeli territory and that the public should “enter a protected space”. That warning came just 12 minutes after the IDF said it was safe for sheltering Israelis to leave bunkers.

This is believed to be the 13th Israeli death in the war. Some 1300 Iranians have died, according the UN, and more than 300 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, according the Lebanese health minister.

Israeli troops have continued to bombard Iran. Soldiers also raided areas in southern Lebanon “to locate and eliminate terrorists and dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure”, the IDF said.

As long as Iran is attacked by Israel and the US, there is no sense in talking about a ceasefire or “anything but defence and retaliation”, the Islamic Republic’s foreign affairs spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said, according to a Reuters report.

Israeli, American and Iranian forces have given no clear indication of how long the war may last. US President Donald Trump initially said it may last five or six weeks but could last longer, and later said wars could be fought forever.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News the war could be “quick and decisive” but also “may take some time, but it’s not going to take years”.

The Liberal Party has not considered reviving its failed election policy of halving the fuel excise, despite surging oil prices forcing up the cost at petrol stations.

Halving the fuel excise from 50¢ a litre to 25¢ a litre was a core election policy of the Liberals under Peter Dutton, and was shelved after the party’s disastrous election result last year.

Despite prices increasing at the bowser as the price of oil surpasses US$100 a barrel and the Nationals indicating they want the policy revisited, opposition defence spokesperson James Patterson said the party had not looked into it and it was the Albanese government’s responsibility to ease the financial burden on Australians.

“Are they contemplating any cuts temporary or otherwise to the fuel excise?” Patterson asked. “Only they have the levers available to them to do that.”

Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, is a hardline official who largely operated in the shadows of his father and is expected to govern in a similar way, casting doubt over claims the war will lead to regime change.

Like his father, Khamenei is also a cleric. Bloomberg reports that he has an investment empire extending to the Gulf and Europe, and is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

His appointment also goes against a longstanding belief that Iran should not be run by dynasties.

But Iran was not always run by ayatollahs.

How did Iran get here? What is behind the enmity between it and America? Who are the ayatollahs? And what is Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps?

For a deep dive on the country’s modern history and details on the regime’s operations, read the full explainer.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment today as Iran’s new supreme leader is in accordance with the country’s constitution.

This appears to be in opposition to the view of the US and Israel. US President Donald Trump is unhappy with the appointment and said Khamenei “is not going to last long”, a comment also made by an Israeli official last week.

China is trying to balance its relationship with Iran – an ally and key trade partner – with protecting its investments in the region and cultivating a relationship with the United States.

Beijing has repeatedly called for an end to the war, and has billions of dollars on the line due to its trade relations with Iran and other countries in the Middle East.

Today Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he hoped 2026 would be a landmark year for the superpowers’ relationship and that despite differences “the two heads of state have personally maintained good exchanges at the highest level”, AP reported.