Israel Military Says It Has Destroyed Half of Iran's Missile Stockpiles

 A video grab image taken from footage released by the Israeli military on March 1, 2026, shows what it says are large-scale strikes on "the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime" in Tehran on March 1. (Photo by Handout / Israeli Army / AFP)
A video grab image taken from footage released by the Israeli military on March 1, 2026, shows what it says are large-scale strikes on "the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime" in Tehran on March 1. (Photo by Handout / Israeli Army / AFP)
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Israel Military Says It Has Destroyed Half of Iran's Missile Stockpiles

 A video grab image taken from footage released by the Israeli military on March 1, 2026, shows what it says are large-scale strikes on "the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime" in Tehran on March 1. (Photo by Handout / Israeli Army / AFP)
A video grab image taken from footage released by the Israeli military on March 1, 2026, shows what it says are large-scale strikes on "the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime" in Tehran on March 1. (Photo by Handout / Israeli Army / AFP)

The Israeli military on Sunday said it had destroyed roughly half of Iran's missile stockpiles in the previous war in June 2025, adding the Iranian republic had been producing dozens of surface-to-surface missiles each month.

"During the operation (in June 2025), we destroyed approximately half of the Iranian regime's missile stockpiles and prevented the production of at least 1,500 additional missiles," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised statement.

"The regime had recently been producing dozens of surface-to-surface missiles per month and intended to increase production to hundreds per month."



North Korea Condemns US-Israel Attacks on Iran as ‘Illegal’

Smoke rises in central Tehran after an Israeli attack in Iran, 01 March 2026. (EPA)
Smoke rises in central Tehran after an Israeli attack in Iran, 01 March 2026. (EPA)
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North Korea Condemns US-Israel Attacks on Iran as ‘Illegal’

Smoke rises in central Tehran after an Israeli attack in Iran, 01 March 2026. (EPA)
Smoke rises in central Tehran after an Israeli attack in Iran, 01 March 2026. (EPA)

North Korea condemned on Sunday the ongoing United States and Israeli attack on Iran as an "illegal act of aggression", claiming it had shown Washington's "gangster-like" nature.

The military campaigns against Iran by the two states "constitute a thoroughly illegal act of aggression and the most vile form of violation of sovereignty in their nature", a spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

Pyongyang said the military actions showed the "shameless and gangster-like conduct" of the two allies, who it said had chosen to "abuse military force to fulfil their selfish and hegemonic ambitions".

North Korea and the United States are longtime adversaries but Washington has mounted a push to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang in recent months, eyeing a potential summit between US President Donald Trump and the North's Kim Jong Un this year.

After largely ignoring those overtures for months, Kim said this week that the two nations could "get along" if Washington accepted Pyongyang's nuclear status.


EU Says Khamenei’s Killing Brings Both Hope and Peril

 EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the press as she arrives for the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the press as she arrives for the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
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EU Says Khamenei’s Killing Brings Both Hope and Peril

 EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the press as she arrives for the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on February 23, 2026. (AFP)
EU High Representative and Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas speaks to the press as she arrives for the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on February 23, 2026. (AFP)

Top EU officials said Sunday the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes could spell "hope" for the country -- but carried a serious risk of regional instability. 

European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas described Khamenei's death as "a defining moment in Iran's history", while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it spurred "renewed hope for the people of Iran". 

"At the same time, this moment carries a real risk of instability that could push the region into a spiral of violence," von der Leyen added. 

Von der Leyen said Brussels was engaging closely "with all key actors" to safeguard stability and security and to protect civilian lives. 

"With Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape," she wrote on social media, after a call with Jordan's King Abdullah II. 

Likewise, Kallas said she was in contact with regional partners "that bear the brunt of Iran's military actions" to find practical steps for de-escalation. 

"The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran's history. What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape," Kallas wrote on X.


Putin Calls Khamenei Killing ‘Cynical Violation’ of ‘Morality and International Law’

 In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on February 27, 2026. (AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on February 27, 2026. (AFP)
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Putin Calls Khamenei Killing ‘Cynical Violation’ of ‘Morality and International Law’

 In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on February 27, 2026. (AFP)
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videolink in Moscow on February 27, 2026. (AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday slammed the United States and Israel's killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in as a "cynical violation" of morality and law.

Tehran has stood by as one of Russia's closest allies throughout Moscow's Ukraine offensive and the Kremlin had earlier called for restraint in the run-up to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

On Sunday, the Kremlin published a letter that Putin sent to Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in which the Russian leader expressed his "deepest condolences for the assassination of" Khamenei.

He said the killing was "carried out in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law".

Putin said Khamenei "will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made an enormous personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations".

He asked Pezeshkian to "convey my most sincere sympathy and support to the relatives and loved ones of the Supreme Leader, to the government and to the entire people of Iran".

Russia on Saturday condemned the strikes on Iran as a "dangerous adventure" that could spark "catastrophe" in the region.

Also Saturday, Moscow's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, with the Russian ministry stressing that the call was held "at the initiative of the Iranian side".

In 2025, Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership treaty aimed at strengthening ties -- including in military matters.