President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes, with his son Mojtaba Khamenei later chosen to succeed him. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and expanding its ground operations in the south of the country.
Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
More than 2,100 children killed or injured in Middle East: UNICEF
More than 2,100 children have been killed or injured across the Middle East since the war in Iran began, according to UNICEF.
The fatalities include 206 children in Iran, 118 in Lebanon, four in Israel and one in Kuwait, according to UNICEF.
"These are reported figures, and they are expected to rise as the violence continues," UNICEF said in a release. "That is an average of approximately 87 children either killed or injured every day since the beginning of the war."
Mar 23, 2026, 2:27 PM EDT
10 killed in Lebanon in past 24 hours: Health officials
At least 10 people have been killed and another 90 wounded in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Monday.
Overall, at least 1,039 people have been killed and another 2,876 wounded since March 2, according to the ministry.
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on a bridge, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, March 22, 2026.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters
Mar 23, 2026, 2:18 PM EDT
Iran continues to deny any talks with US
Iranian officials have continued to deny that any talks took place with the U.S., after President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that Washington and Tehran had two days of "productive" talks.
According to state media, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Qalibaf said "no talks with the U.S. have taken place" and that "reports claiming otherwise are fake news aimed at influencing financial and oil markets and distracting from the challenges facing the U.S. and Israel."
During an event in Memphis on Monday afternoon, Trump said the U.S. is having "really good discussions" with Iran.
"I think they're very good. They want peace. They've agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon, you know, etc., etc., but we'll see," Trump said. "You have to get it done. But I would say there's a very good chance."
When pressed on Iran's denial of Trump's statements, the White House referred ABC News back to the president's comments that the talks had taken place.
Mar 23, 2026, 11:08 AM EDT
Trump details US-Iran talks, says Iran agreed to not have nuclear weapon
President Donald Trump talked about the ongoing negotiations with Iran during a lengthy gaggle on the tarmac in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
Trump said that Iran and the U.S. had many points of agreement in the current talks, which he previously said had been happening for two days – and he said that Iran agreed to never have a nuclear weapon.
Trump said talks would continue over the next few days. He said Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner have been involved in those talks.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
"We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. But we have point -- major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement, perhaps that hasn't been conveyed,” Trump said. “The communication, as you know, has been blown to pieces. They're unable to talk to each other. But we've had very strong talks. Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner had them. They went, I would say, perfectly. I would say that if they carry through with that, it'll end that -- that problem, that conflict, and I think it'll end it very, very substantially.”
Rescue workers and first responders work at a residential building hit in an earlier U.S.-Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, March 23, 2026.
Vahid Salemi/AP
When pressed about who they are speaking with in Iran, Trump said, "a top person."
"Don't forget, we've wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two and largely phase three. But we're dealing with a man who I believe is the most respected and the leader,” Trump said.
Trump said he is not talking to the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
