NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, February 28, 2026

Episode Date: March 1, 2026

Trump says Iran’s supreme leader killed in strikes; Iran unleashes attacks on multiple Arab countries; What comes next inside Iran?;  and more on tonight’s broadcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight, America attacks Iran, President Trump announcing its supreme leader Ayatollah Hamani has been killed as Iran retaliates across the region. The U.S. launching strikes with Israel earlier today targeting Iran's top leaders. New images of the Ayatollah's compound decimated. The country's supreme leader now believed to be dead. Other attacks inflicted very great losses on their leadership. Iran firing back against its neighbors, hitting this high rise in Bahrain. Oh my God. A drone blasting down in Dubai.

An intercepted missile crashing near crowds. This explosion near a U.S. Navy base. And Tel Aviv coming under attack. Hotels for Western tourists and airports. hit across the region. We're getting our first look at the damage inside of Iran. This is the moment for action. President Trump addressing the nation in the early morning hours,

laying out the mission's objectives. They will never have a nuclear weapon. Iran's foreign ministers speaking out to NBC News. There is no limit for us to defend ourselves. But what happens now that the Ayatollah is dead? What President Trump just told our Kristen Welker about the timeline for the mission. And the growing questions, what is the endgame? How involved will the U.S. be? Our correspondents spread out across the region tonight as America's attacks on Iran may only be getting started.

This is a special edition of NBC Nightly News. The U.S. strikes Iran. Here is Tom Yamas. And good evening. We begin tonight with what could be the most consequential action President Trump has ever taken. The commander-in-chief saying Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes across Iran today. This is the aftermath. The Ayatollah's compound, you see it there, seemingly leveled. Many of the country's top leaders were also taken out, according to President Trump. That action, killing ahead of state, a seismic shift in strategy with untold consequences inside Iran and across the region. Iran, for decades, a sworn enemy of the United States, today firing back, launching attacks not just on Israel, but on other nations across the region.

Watch as a drone smashes right into this high rise in Bahrain. You can see it here from a wider angle. Look at that. This hotel in Dubai, popular with tourists and westerners, also hit as well. And there was this attack near a U.S. Navy service center in the region. The U.S. reporting multiple attacks on American bases across. the Middle East, but so far, no U.S. casualties. The president released a video in the early morning hour saying the goal is to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. He spoke to our

Kristen Welker late today, suggesting this mission is far from over. And though Iran has not confirmed the Supreme Leader is dead, there were celebrations by Iranian Americans in the streets today, hope that a horrific regime is nearing its end. But there are also growing questions tonight about who will lead Iran now. And there is criticism from some lawmakers that the president is marching the U.S. into a war with no clear endgame. Our correspondence tonight are spread out across the region and here in the U.S. But we begin with at least one objective, the killing of the country's leader seeming to have been achieved. Tonight, the stunning and surprise strikes. U.S. jets and Tomahawks targeting Iran as part of a joint U.S. U.S.

and Israeli operation, leading to a historic moment in the Middle East. President Trump posting the leader of Iran's Islamic regime Ayatollah Ali Hamani is dead, calling him one of the most evil people in history, adding he was unable to avoid our intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems. And working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he or the other leaders that have been killed along with him could do. Hamani, a political and religious leader, led Iran, which is designated by the U.S. as one of the world's top sponsors of terrorism since 1989. His compound in Tehran, seen in this satellite image, completely destroyed. The daylight strikes left smoke billowing over Iran's capital.

This vehicle on fire and a crater in the middle of the city. Israel releasing this footage, striking a ballistic missile launcher. You can actually see the Iranians as they were pre-year. preparing to fire. President Trump, inside Mara Lago, seen watching it all unfold, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, announcing Operation Epic Fury this morning. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. For 47 years, the Iranian regime, has chanted death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder.

Targeting the United States are troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. It's been mass terror, and we're not going to put up with it any longer. Tonight, Iran retaliating. Israeli air defense is taking out many of the incoming missiles and drones. Here, Israelis huddling under an overpass and crowding. underground shelters. And also tonight, in a surprise move, the Iranian regime also lashing out against multiple Arab countries, including striking civilian targets. In Dubai, you can see an Iranian strike on a hotel from several different angles. The Fairmont-Dubai Palm Hotel hit

and erupting in flames. And this image from a blown-out hotel room. Here, Iranian projectiles streaking across the sky. That's an Iranian. drone nearly striking the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. In Qatar, people scrambling as debris from an intercepted Iranian missile falls on a street. In Kuwait, an Iranian drone striking and damaging terminal one of Kuwait's international airport. And in Bahrain tonight, look at this Iranian strike on a downtown high rise. Someone inside this building filled with a building. This building filming as an Iranian drone makes impact.

And huge plumes of smoke visible for miles when an Iranian drone hit the headquarters of the U.S. 5th fleet. The Pentagon saying no one was injured. President Trump saying one of the U.S. goals to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The U.S. destroyed Iran's nuclear sites last year, but the president saying the Iranian regime has been trying to rebuild. And that ongoing negotiations were not working. This terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. We sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.

They wanted to do it. They didn't want to do it. Again, they wanted to do it. They didn't want to do it. They didn't know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil. For weeks, the president building up U.S. military forces in the region, telling me this in our interview earlier this month. Should the Supreme Leader in Iran be worried right now?

I would say he should be very worried, yeah, he should be. And now suggesting one of the goals was to remove the Iranian regime, delivering this warning to Iran's military. So lay down your arms, you will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. The president saying he's trying to aid protesters in Iran, the regime's brutal crackdown estimated to have killed thousands. To the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. For many years, you have asked for America's help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.

And as those attacks are still ongoing tonight, I want to bring in our Kristen Welker, who spoke with President Trump late today. And Kristen, he told you it's more than just the Supreme Leader who was targeted. Tom, that's right. In our short phone call, the President told me the strikes have caused very great losses on their leadership. Adding tremendous damage has been inflicted. The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone. Now, what he couldn't answer, who exactly would replace Iran's Supreme Leader? The President also revealed the damage came from at least three targeted attacks on senior Iranian leaders. And Tom, I asked him, how will he know if the operation has been a success? The president responded, I think it's already a success. Now, looming large over

all of this, just how long should Americans prepare for this operation to last? The president tonight writing, bombing will last through the week. Tom. Kristen Walker, with a lot of new reporting for us on this story. Kristen, we thank you for that. I want to get right over to Richard Engel, who's live in Israel tonight, where you and your team have seen those incoming missiles all day and night. And Richard, you just traveled to Iran days ago. There's been no official Iranian response about the Ayatollah. But if it is true, talk about who comes next. Well, Ayatollah Khomeini was an old man, extraordinarily stubborn stubborn. He often made it clear that he would have preferred to be a martyr than to compromise.

He also kept his succession plans a secret. And as of tonight, we don't know exactly how many of his potential successors have also been killed. And right now, Tom, you can probably hear my phone going off. That means that there is another potential Iranian strike coming in right at this moment. There have also been civilian casualties in this conflict. According to Iranian officials, dozens of girls were killed in a strike that hit a school. And here in Israel, at least one woman was killed by an Iranian missile that hit a building very close to where I'm standing right now. And Richard, if you have to take shelter, you can do that. But in the meantime, I do want to ask you, this is also happening after all those protesters

took to the streets in Iran. We saw that. The world saw that facing that brutal government crackdown. The economy there is in shambles. They're having problems just getting drinking water to people. Many Iranians have been demanding change. And now there's a moment where they may be able to get it. I've been speaking, Tom, to members of the Iranian opposition tonight.

And they are delighted. This government is deeply popular in Iran. When I was in Tehran not long ago, a man came up to us on the street and he tore up a picture of the supreme leader. But just because the regime is unpopular and now weakened doesn't mean that you can have a smooth or easy transition of power. Tom. Richard Engel, we thank you for that union team. Please stay safe tonight. Let's turn to Keir Simmons in Dubai.

Kier Dubai views itself as a place of stability in the turbulent Middle East. But today you were seeing all these strikes happening at hotels and other places around you? That's right, Tom. At times today, it has felt like a bombardment here. Explosion after explosion in the sky into the night as those missiles and drones have been intercepted. Messages on our phones like you heard with Richard there telling us to shelter in place. Just to reassure you, Tom, I am standing close to our home and I am under shelter. but the UAE, just the United Arab Emirates here, saying that it has been targeted by 137 missiles and 209 drones alone.

And not just a basis here in this region, but civilian targets, hotels. The airport near here has been hit. Thankfully, it had been evacuated. Tom, you know, this feels like a furious reaction from Iran, some kind of retribution, perhaps even desperation of the news of the possible. death of its leader. Tom? Please stay safe out there. All right, Keir Simmons for us. And we are learning new details about the military assets the U.S. used for the strikes. Our senior national security correspondent, Courtney Kubi joins us now.

Courtney, the U.S. using suicide drones for the first time ever. Yeah, that's right, Tom. This ongoing campaign against Iran marks the first time the U.S. has used so-called one-way attack drones in combat. Those are drones packed with explosives that slam into a target. U.S. Central Command says this is the largest, regional concentration of American military firepower in a generation. Already today, the U.S. has fired at hundreds of targets inside Iran, according to two U.S. officials. It includes precision Tomahawk land attack missiles fired from U.S. Navy ships in the region, also strikes

from fighter jets, including F-35s, F-18s, launching for both land and sea. A senior Trump administration officials said the short-term threat is Iran's ballistic missile program, and that is part of what the U.S. military is targeting today, missile and drone launch sites, air defense sites, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control sites. The advanced weapons that the U.S. used in the attack are not just for the strikes, though. The U.S. also expects to use them to defend against Iran's retaliation, which continues tonight. Tom. Courtney Kubi, Courtney, we thank you for that. Let's head to the White House and turn to President Trump's decision to launch these attacks and what prompted him to make the call now. Here's Garrett Hake.

After months of close coordination with Israel and weeks of direct negotiations with Iran, President Trump ordered the attack overnight from his Mar-a-Lago home. The president briefly dropping in on a charity gala held in the ballroom, then huddling with advisors to monitor strikes in a makeshift command center, seen in these White House photos. The president explaining his decision-making in a video posted at 2.30 this morning. They've rejected every opportunity to renounce their... nuclear ambitions, and we can't take it anymore. The administration's analysis was that Iran's

efforts to reconstitute its nuclear program after last summer strikes, along with its refusal to discuss its ballistic missile program, constituted a, quote, intolerable risk to the U.S., according to senior administration officials. The calculus, a preemptive strike, would risk fewer U.S. and allied casualties than sitting back and waiting. As the president traveled to a rally in Texas yesterday, A strike decision seemed far from certain. We haven't made a final decision. We're not exactly happy with the way he's negotiated. How close are you to making a decision on strikes?

I'd rather not tell you, you would have the greatest scoop in history, right? Now we have a big decision to make. I'd rather do it the peaceful way, but they're very difficult people. Congressional Republicans have largely defended the president's decisions, while Democrats have sharply criticized them, vowing to force a vote to restrict his war powers next week. We are spending billions of dollars on this operation, and it's not putting groceries on your table.

It's not helping you buy a home. It's not helping you send a kid to school. This is not what Americans want. Garrett, let's pick it up right there. Does Congress have any ability here to limit the president's use of force against Iran now? Well, Tom, Democrats say they'll force these War Powers Act votes next week, which could curtail future strikes. But Republicans so far in lockstep with the president, those votes are unlikely to do anything other than give lawmakers a chance to get their opposition on the record.

Tom? Garrett Hake at the White House. Garrett, thank you for much more on the latest in Iran. Watch meet the press with Kristen Welker tomorrow right here on NBC. Still ahead tonight, law enforcement on high alert for any security threats. Could Iran retaliate inside the U.S.? That's next. Back now with those strikes across the Middle East today, putting law enforcement here at home on alert for potential retaliatory strikes and protesters taking to the streets.

Valley Castro is tracking it all from New York City. Tonight, protests across the U.S. against strikes in Iran as law enforcement is on alert, working with intelligence agencies to thwart any potential threats to the United States and stepping up patrols at sensitive areas like houses of worship and diplomatic. sites. I think we should absolutely be worried about retaliation. New York City Police coordinating across agencies out of an abundance of caution, adding a visible presence outside the Israeli consulate and Iranian mission to the UN. Three senior law enforcement officials say there are no plots or specific threats that U.S. counterterrorism officials are tracking, but they caution the situation could change. These guys are going to want to strike back. Who's the most vulnerable to domestically? It's usually our biggest cities, New York, Washington,

Los Angeles, Chicago. They want to strike where there's impact. In recent years, the FBI and NYPD's Joint Terrorism Task Force have stopped multiple Iran-backed plots. Three men were convicted in a plot to kill an Iranian journalist in New York. Others charged in plots to assassinate former ambassador John Bolton and then candidate Donald Trump after the U.S. killed the commander of the Iranian military's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in a strike in 2020.

Besides the potential for threats against physical targets like synagogues, Iran could also retaliate through a cyber attack, though officials say Iran's near total internet blackout limits those concerns. Tom? Still so many on alert tonight. All right, Valerie, thank you. We're back in a moment with the economic impact of the Iran attack here at home. Are oil and gas prices about to go up? That's next. We're back now with more in the U.S. and Israeli. attack on Iran and what the unfolding conflict in the Middle East could mean for gas prices here at home. For that, we turned out to NBC News Business and Economy reporter, Ali Knau. So, Ali, what can we expect? Tom, analysts tell me oil prices are likely to rise when markets reopen Sunday evening.

Depending on how the conflict escalates, they say crude could jump as much as $15 to $20 a barrel. Typically, every $1 move in oil translates to about $2 to $3 per gallon. So an increase in like that could mean gas prices rising anywhere from 30 to 60 cents a gallon, and that's on top of normal seasonal increases. Now, Iran only accounts for about 3 to 4 percent of global oil production. The real risk here is broader regional disruption, especially if there are issues around that critical Strait of Hormuz. Yeah, and explain to our viewers' alley, the Strait of Hormuz, why it's so important. Yeah, we have a map here to show you. As you can see, it's a narrow waterway along Iran's Coast, and about one-fifth of the world's oil supply moves through it every single day.

If the stray is disrupted and global supply tightens, that could drive prices higher, and it's what markets will be keeping a close eye on in the coming days. Tom. Allie, our thanks to you when we come back tonight, a final thought on what may come next. Stay with us. Finally, tonight, it's been nearly half a century since the revolution that changed Iran and the region forever. the first supreme leader took power. We now find ourselves in its biggest moment of uncertainty since. With President Trump announcing Iran's Ayatollah has been killed, it's unclear who will now lead Iran. Tensions have run high before, from the storming of the U.S. embassy and 444 excruciating

days of the hostage crisis, to the U.S.-backed Iraq war with Iran, to the takedown of the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Qasem Soleimani. But none of them, quite like this. In the early hours, President Trump appealed to Iranians to act, saying, quote, this will be probably your only chance for generations. We do not know what the people of Iran will do, and we cannot know what comes next. For months, they've taken to the streets, thousands of them killed, even more imprisoned, even children. Under the Ayatollah's reign, human rights, especially women's rights, were trampled on. And Iranian Americans today carrying flags and heavy emotions here on our streets.

Change may just be getting underway, and our teams will be here and there to cover it every step of the way. That's nightly news for this Saturday. Our coverage continues on our streaming network, NBC News Now and at NBCNews.com. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching tonight, and always we're here for you. Good night.