Stephen Carroll

As the US and Israeli bombing of Iran continues, President Trump has told ABC that his preferred candidates to lead the state were killed in the initial attack.

The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has thrown the country's future leadership into question.

Khamenei did not publicly designate a successor.

Until one is appointed, a council compromising the president and two other senior figures is carrying out the leader's duties.

Wendy Sherman, former U.S.

Deputy Secretary of State, says the Iranian regime will be extremely hard to dislodge.

Wendy Sherman's words came as it was reported that President Trump has agreed to talk to Iran's new leadership.

The Atlantic quotes a conversation with the U.S.

president in which he said they want to talk and I have agreed to talk.

So I will be talking to them without specifying who he was referring to.

Iran's national security chief, Ali Larijani.

responded on X to reports that he had reached out to Washington via Oman, saying that the country will not negotiate with the United States.

European countries were not involved with the US strikes and have scrambled to react.

The UK has since allowed the US to make use of British military bases for the specific purpose of destroying Iranian missile sites.

But Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK will not be involved in offensive action.

The UK Prime Minister added that he had taken international legal advice before backing the move and would publish it.

Meanwhile, the European Union called for maximum restraint and warned escalation could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Oil prices have surged as traders assess the effect of the conflict on supplies and transit links through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran's coast.

Global benchmark Brent crude is about 7% higher, above $77 a barrel, after earlier rallying by as much as 13% to the highest since January 2025.

Mukesh Sadev is chief oil analyst and CEO at X-Analysts.