Oil prices surged more than 8 per cent to their highest in months on Monday (Mar 2) as Iran and Israel stepped up attacks in the Middle East.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the decision was based on the "collective self-defence of long-standing friends and allies and protecting British lives" in the Middle East. 

V.Ships Asia said that the crew member was killed in the engine room of the tanker. At least three ships are known to have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

Plans include the formation of an interim leadership council, including the president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council, the body that oversees legislation and vets electoral candidates.

Despite mounting speculation about regime change, analysts warn that without boots on the ground, any meaningful shift in Iran is more likely to stem from internal power dynamics than from external pressure.

The strikes are intended to open the "path to Tehran", says Israel.

Who could succeed Khamenei as supreme leader, and what role could the Revolutionary Guards play? 

Iran launched strikes at Israel and US-allied Gulf states in retaliation for the killing of its supreme leader. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday in air strikes by Israel and the US.

Iran’s leaders need to ensure regime survival and that was always about more than one man, says James M Dorsey from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

On Sunday (Mar 1), China's embassy in Israel issued a notice advising Chinese citizens in Israel to evacuate to safer areas within the country as soon as possible or to leave for Egypt via the Taba border crossing.

The Taliban-ruled state has suffered Pakistani strikes against government installations over the past week following accusations, which it denies, that it harbours militants.

Countries expected to be present in Tokyo include big oil producers like Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States as well as islands states Antigua and Barbuda and Palau, plus China, India and the European Union.

Khamenei has followers in Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain, UAE and many other countries so there is a risk of major escalation in those areas, says an analyst.