What we know on the 10th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

By Helen Regan, Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — A top Iranian official warned in an exclusive CNN interview that the government is prepared for a long war with the United States, on the same day Iranians were directed to pledge their allegiance to the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

With little sign of an off-ramp, the war’s economic fallout has deepened, sending global oil prices spiraling past $100 per barrel for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Here’s what to know on Day 10.

What are the main headlines?

• Khamenei dynasty: Iran’s key power centers, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have swiftly rallied behind Mojtaba Khamenei after he was chosen to succeed his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader. US President Donald Trump called it a “big mistake.” Analysts say Mojtaba’s elevation suggests a continuity of his father’s hard-line policies. And Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote to Khamenei on Monday, reiterating Moscow’s support. Asked whether the new supreme leader is a target, Israel’s foreign minister said, “You’ll have to wait and see.”
• Economic shockwaves: Policymakers are evaluating options to deal with the biggest oil disruption in history. The International Monetary Fund chief has warned of global inflation risks and said her advice to policymakers was to prepare for “the unthinkable.” Group of Seven finance ministers are planning to meet Monday to discuss the potential joint release of strategic oil reserves. Asian and European markets plunged while oil futures surged — but Trump dismissed concerns, calling soaring oil costs a “very small price to pay.” South Korea will impose its first fuel cap in almost 30 years as global jitters deepen.
• Ready for a long war: A top Iranian official told CNN the government is prepared for a long war with the United States and signaled it is willing to continue attacking Arab countries along the Persian Gulf. Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser to the office of the supreme leader, ruled out diplomacy for now and said the war would only end through economic pain, indicating a hardening of the government’s stance. Without specifying any plans, the Israeli military vowed to harm anyone who threatens Israel, when asked if Mojtaba Khamenei was a “target for elimination.”
• Regional attacks continue: Israel said it launched strikes on Beirut and Iran overnight and on Monday afternoon, while Tehran announced missile launches. Turkey’s Defense Ministry said NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile as it entered the country’s airspace. Gulf states reported interceptions and overnight strikes, including Bahrain, which said at least 32 people were wounded in an Iranian drone attack on a residential area. Bahrain’s national oil company BAPCO said its operations have been affected after video showed a large fire at the facility’s industrial zone in Riffa. It later declared force majeure on its operations.
• Growing death toll: More than 1,700 people in the Middle East have been killed since the conflict began. At least 1,205 of those were civilians killed in joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), while at least 486 people have been killed in Israel’s campaign in Lebanon, the country’s Health Ministry said.
• School strike: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is still investigating a strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed at least 168 children, according to state media. He made the comment after new video appeared to confirm a US airstrike targeted a naval base next to the school, adding to a body of evidence contradicting Trump’s recent claims casting blame on Iran.
• Personnel told to leave: The US State Department ordered “non-emergency” diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia — a reflection of the risks facing US personnel as the conflict deepens. A US service member died after sustaining injuries during an attack last week in the country.

What’s happening in the region?

• Public pledge: Iranian state media prominently covered rallies across Iran, which apparently thousands of people attended to show support for the new leader. Members of the public had been called on to gather to pledge allegiance to Mojtaba.
• “New phase” of war: A senior Iranian official told CNN there was no prospect for an immediate end to the conflict. He said Israel’s attacks on oil and fuel depots have pushed the war into a “new phase.” The official threatened retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure, raising concerns about potential further disruptions to regional oil and gas facilities. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson added Monday that Iran has no interest in negotiations while it remains under attack.
• Stay or go?: One Tehran resident said his family was divided on whether to leave the city, saying people are “under a lot of pressure.” Israeli strikes on fuel depots Saturday night were “the heaviest bombardments since the start of the war,” he said.
• “Save our girls”: Five members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad are safe with police and are seeking asylum after fleeing the team’s hotel in Australia, where they have been playing in the Women’s Asian Cup, a source told CNN Sports. There have been growing calls for the players’ depature from Australia to be blocked for fear of persecution in Iran.

The latest from the US

• Energy prices: Trump and administration officials are attempting to allay worries over rising gas prices, which have increased by nearly 50 cents, or about 17%, since the start of the war. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described rising costs at the pump as “a short-term disruption.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Trump to tap into the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world’s largest stockpile of emergency oil, in an effort to lower energy prices.
• Terms of surrender: Trump said he will decide, together with Israel, when the war will end. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be part of the decision, but Washington will have the final say, Trump said in an interview with the Times of Israel. Defense Secretary Hegseth also said that the US and Trump will set “the terms of surrender” with Iran, without offering specifics. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government is “ready to resume negotiations” with Israel, adding that Israel has not responded to its proposal for resuming talks.
• Seventh deceased US service member identified: Army Sgt. Benjamin Pennington, 26, was named by the US military as the seventh US service member killed in the Iran war. He died Sunday, a week after he was injured at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

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