Image source, EPA

On Sunday night, Iranian state media confirmed that Mojtaba Khamenei will replace his father Ali Khamenei as the country's new supreme leader, after the Ayatollah was killed on the first day of the US and Israeli strikes.

When asked last week by BBC Panorama whether Israel would kill Khamenei’s successor if they don’t approve of them, Israel’s economy minister Nir Barkat said "as long as we see threat... from that leadership, we will take them on".

Since the Islamic revolution put the clerics in charge, Iran has funded armed groups, fought proxy wars with its neighbours and brutally repressed its own people.

Now under a hail of bombs and missiles, Iran is being told to change course. But can even the world’s most powerful military make that happen?

At War: Trump, Israel and Iran is on BBC One and iPlayer from 8pm tonight.

Image source, Reuters

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for a "complete ceasefire with a cessation of all Israeli land, air, and sea attacks on Lebanon".

Israel has carried out extensive strikes against Hezbollah - which is based in Lebanon and exercises control in some areas, but is opposed by the government.

The escalation began on 2 March when the Iranian-backed armed group launched rockets and drones at Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

Aoun asked for international support for his country's armed forces to allow them to take control of Hezbollah-controlled areas and to disarm the group.

He said Israel and Lebanon should begin negotiations with international oversight.

Simon Jack
Business editor

Image source, Getty Images

All countries that are members of the International Energy Association are required to keep reserves of oil in case of disruptions to global oil supplies. The UK is a member and meets that obligation.

The EU has a similar mechanism. Both require countries to have roughly 90 days' worth of supply in reserve for moments like this.

The oil itself is not in a single geographic location. Oil producers like Shell and BP keep stocks at terminals and refineries around the UK and can earmark stocks held elsewhere as counting towards their reserves.

When it's released, it doesn't mean a sudden flood of new oil starts moving. It means that producers will make more available in the market for refineries to order.

However, energy analysts have told the BBC that given there is a shortage of refining capacity, the release is not a magic switch to increase the flow of refined products like petrol and jet fuel.

The releasing of the reserves is more of a confidence or sentiment boosting measure to reassure markets that governments have recognised the threats and are acting in co-ordination to address them.

In short, it may not see oil prices fall but it may stop them climbing as much as they otherwise would have done.

Images taken by Reuters show Israelis lying on the side on the side of the road during an air alert earlier.

The Israeli military reported launches from both Iran and Lebanon in quick succession a few hours ago.

It said it had "intercepted several launches and several additional launches fell in an open area".

Image source, Reuters

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge criticises the fact that a Navy warship has not yet been deployed off the coast of Cyprus, saying it would be needed for air defence operations.

He says the UK's response so far has "completely undermined our international standing", both in the eyes of allies and "those who can exploit such weakness".

Healey says the government is "deeply concerned about escalation in Lebanon".

He calls on Hezbollah to cease attacks against Israel and says "we do not want to see Israel expand this conflict further into Lebanon".

Healey describes the Iranian regime as "a destructive force which has slaughtered protesters", and calls on it to give up its nuclear ambitions and restart negotiations.

He says the UK's response has been "driven at all times by military advice".

The UK is now conducting defensive air sorties in support of the UAE, Healey says, and British forces have shot down two drones - one over Jordan, the second heading to Bahrain.

A third Wildcat helicopter has arrived in Cyprus and RAF operations experts have been deployed to more than five countries in the region, he adds.

The UK has eight jets in Qatar and "more jets in Cyprus than any other nation".

John Healey has confirmed Navy destroyer HMS Dragon will leave Portsmouth for the Mediterranean in the "next few days".

He says the government has also sent Typhoon and F35 fighter jets, counter-drone teams and radars to the region.

The defence secretary says the government's response, which is coordinated with the US, Nato and Gulf allies, is underpinned by assuring there is a "legal basis for our decisions".

The drone which hit RAF Akrotiri last week was fired from Lebanon or Iraq, the UK defence secretary says.

The Ministry of Defence previously confirmed the drone - which caused minimal damage at the British military base - was not launched from Iran, but has not previously said where it originated from.

• For context: A drone hit the British base last Sunday, causing "minimal damage" and no casualties. The next day, two further drones headed for Akrotiri were intercepted, a Cypriot government spokesperson said. The MoD said it would move family members to alternative accommodation as a precautionary measure.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey is now giving an update on the situation in the Middle East.

You can watch live at the top of this page and we will bring you the key details here.

Is the UK down to two days of gas supply?published at 17:39 GMT

17:39 GMT

By Anthony Reuben

The slowdown of oil and gas making it out of the Middle East and rising energy prices has led some to question the UK’s energy security.

Among them is Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice, who posted on X: “The Net Stupid Zero political class are to blame: UK has just 2 days’ worth of Gas stored.”

According to the latest figures from National Gas - which builds and manages the country's gas infrastructure - the UK has 7,254GWh (gigawatt hours) of gas in storage, and the expected demand today is about 2,600 GWh .

But expressing the amount of gas stored as the number of days of supply would be putting it into “extremely simple and unrealistic terms”, analysts at energy consultants Wood Mackenzie tell BBC Verify.

They say the UK has the ability to produce its own gas, has five pipelines to import it from continental Europe, as well as three terminals for liquified natural gas, adding: “All of these would have to be inoperable for storage to be the sole source of supply, which is not going to happen.”

National Gas says it has no concerns about storage levels, which are broadly what they would expect at this time of year.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Travelling with the president

Donald Trump has just announced an unexpected news conference at 17:30 local time (21:30 GMT) in Doral, the Miami suburb where he has spent the weekend.

It will follow a Republican event in which Trump will meet House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican members of the House of Representatives.

The US President has been making a handful of phone calls to journalists regarding Iran, and we spoke to him on Air Force One on Saturday.

However, this would mark the first time that he has had a formal press conference since hostilities began. His last press conference, in the White House briefing room, took place on 20 February.

While Trump’s event in Florida is focused on domestic politics, the US-Israeli operation in Iran continues to be the focus of the country’s media.

Trump is likely to be asked about rising petrol prices, as well as his thoughts on Iran’s new leadership and how he views the potential “end game” in the country.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has has targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' drone headquarters in its latest wave of strikes.

The attacks continue "to deepen damage" to Iran's military capacity, with strikes against "dozens of infrastructure sites" also carried out today.

Archie Mitchell
Business reporter

Away from the House of Commons in London, European stocks closed lower on Monday but pulled back sharp losses seen earlier in the day.

London’s FTSE 100 index recovered to end the day down just 0.3%, having initially fallen by as much as 1.86% to its lowest level for nearly two months.

The wider FTSE 250 index, however, closed around 1.6% lower after struggling to regain earlier losses.

Oil giants were among the biggest risers in London, with Shell’s shares climbing by 2.4% on Monday and BP’s gaining 1.9%.

Elsewhere, Germany’s benchmark DAX index fell by 0.7% on Monday, while France’s CAC 40 ended the day 0.9% lower.

Image source, House of Commons

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride says releasing the UK's strategic stockpile of oil "will only go so far" to ease prices.

If the conflict continues longer term, he says, it will have implications for interest rates and borrowing costs, which will lead to monetary policy needing to be adjusted and potentially higher mortgage costs.

Stride criticises Reeves for pressing ahead with the removal of a temporary cut in fuel duty later this year, and accuses the government of imposing too much tax on oil and gas and failing to maximise domestic energy resources.

The shadow chancellor says the government should have changed course in the Spring Statement last month, and offers opposition support for news measures "given the gravity of the situation".

Reeves points to the roll out of the government's Fuel Finder service, which registers the prices being charged at different garages so customers can find "the lowest possible price at the pump".

But she adds that "rapid de-escalation" in the Middle East will be the quickest way to ensure prices remain stable.

The chancellor also says she "will not tolerate" energy firms "exploiting the current crisis to make excess profits at consumer's expense".

Reeves confirms the British military will be given access to the UK's oil reserve to fuel operations related to the Middle East, with the cost covered by the Treasury.

The chancellor tells the Commons she spoke with G7 finance ministers today and discussed immediate priorities, such as ensuring oil can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The UK is a global hub for maritime insurance and Reeves says she is due to meet with the chair of Lloyds of London - an insurance marketplace - later.

She says the UK government "stands ready to support a coordinated release of collective international energy reserves", a move that is being considered across Europe but not yet confirmed.

Reeves also confirms the energy price cap will not rise in April, meaning bills will stay fixed at their current rates until at least June.

Inflation is likely to rise in the coming months, she says, though the UK's financial markets are continuing to function normally despite global disruption.

Reeves confirms the UK's domestic energy price cap won't rise in April despite rising international oil prices.

Image source, House of Commons

Rachel Reeves says inflation is likely to rise in the coming months but financial markets are continuing to function normally.

We'll bring you more on the chancellor's emergency statement shortly.

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves is about to deliver an emergency statement to Parliament regarding the economic impact of the US-Israel war with Iran.

It comes after she remotely joined an emergency meeting held between G7 finance ministers earlier today.

We will bring you the key lines here and you can follow along by pressing watch live at the top of this page.

Image source, PA Media