By ELENA BECATOROS and BASSEM MROUE

BEIRUT (AP) — The killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes over the weekend did not just shake Iran. It has reverberated across the Shiite Muslim world, raising the specter of a broader backlash in the Middle East and beyond.

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For the Muslim world’s Shiite minority, 86-year-old Khamenei was more than just Iran’s theocratic ruler since 1989. He was also one of their most prominent religious and political figures. His death at the hands of a joint U.S.-Israeli operation has stoked fury across the Shiite world.

“There is reason to be concerned about how Shia minorities across the Middle East, and in particular … the Shia majority in Iraq might respond to this,” said Burcu Ozcelik, senior research fellow for Middle East security at the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI, a UK-based defense and security think tank.

Shiite Muslims make up around 10% to 15% of the world’s Muslim population, concentrated mainly in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan, while there are also significant communities in Pakistan, Lebanon and Yemen.

For Mamoona Shirazi, a Shiite activist in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Khamenei “was not only our leader but a leader for all. He raised his voice against oppression. He never bowed to anyone; he spoke the truth and was like a father to us.”

Protests erupt

Within hours of Khamenei’s death, thousands of infuriated protesters took to the streets in Pakistan. They tried to storm the U.S. Consulate in the southern city of Karachi and clashed with police outside the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad where the U.S. Embassy is located, while also attacking United Nations offices in northern cities. At least 34 people were killed in clashes with security forces. More than 120 were injured.

“If the United States and Israel are not stopped, the entire world will turn into ruins. Peace-loving people must awaken,” said Syed Hussain Muqaddasi, head of the Pakistani Shiite political party Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafariya.

In Iraq, demonstrators clashed with police near the U.S. Embassy, while in Lebanon, the Iran-affiliated Hezbollah group fired missiles towards Israel for the first time in over a year. It triggered intense Israeli airstrikes on the country that killed dozens of people. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes in the predominantly Shiite areas of southern and eastern Lebanon as Israel threatened more strikes, called up 100,000 reservists and sent troops into southern Lebanon.

“I think there’s a psychological, emotional aspect to the killing of Khamenei and we are very much in the early days of trying to make sense of what that might look like,” said Ozcelik of the UK-based think tank.

Members of an Iraqi Shiite militant group attend a funeral of a fighter of the Kataib Hezbollah, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike, in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

Frustration at Iran’s meddling in other countries

Still, Ozcelik noted the potentially violent backlash could be tempered by growing frustration, even among Shiite populations, at Iran’s meddling in other countries’ affairs.

Over the last five to 10 years, the young generation in Iraq in particular, she said, has shown resistance to Iran’s “overwhelming penetration” of Iraqi domestic affairs, including its security services, judiciary, politics and economy.

Involvement in countries with a significant Shiite population has been a defining feature of Iran’s foreign policy for decades. Tehran adopted a strategy of building alliances not only with states, but also with armed groups — the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, being just two, as well as armed groups in Iraq and Syria.

Its interventions, generally presented as seeking to protect Shiites’ interests, often drew criticism of undermining countries’ sovereignty and fostering instability. One of the Trump administration’s key demands of Iran ahead of this conflict had been that it sever support to proxy groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen — a demand Iran rejected.

Given this frustration, Ozcelik suggested there is unlikely to be the “sharp, violent sectarianism that we saw after 2003,” when Iraq descended into a bloody, prolonged period of violence between the formerly dominant Sunni minority and Shiite majority in the wake of the U.S. invasion and overthrow of Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Muslim. The violence spilled across other countries in the region, most notably into the Syrian civil war.

Since then, “the Middle East in many ways has moved on. I think there is a strong urge and desire for de-escalation at this point, particularly in the Gulf,” Ozcelik said.

Previous prominent targets

Over the past years, the U.S. and Israel have assassinated some of the most prominent figures in the Iran-led regional alliance, including Shiite clerics. It began with the 2020 killing of Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, along with veteran Iraqi militant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.

In September 2024, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, the de-facto head of an Iranian alliance spread across Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, was killed in a massive Israeli airstrike south of Beirut.

But Khamenei was by far the biggest blow.

“After the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran says it has no red lines left,” said Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of American foreign policy think tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

An injured Shiite Muslim woman is taken to medical help during a protest against the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A region in turmoil

Tehran’s backlash has brought turmoil across the region.

Hundreds of missiles and drones have flown across the Middle East and as far afield as Cyprus. Usually prosperous and peaceful countries like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar scrambled to shoot down Iranian weaponry as they shut their airspace, grounding commercial flights and stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Many Shiites perceive the strikes against Iran and Khamenei’s killing as aimed against their entire community.

“There is targeting of Muslims in general, but the targeting is specifically directed at Shiites,” said Nasser Khazal, whose building was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike Tuesday in a suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Lebanese political analyst Qassim Qassir said Iran’s vehement retaliation is seen as a fight for Shiite survival against the U.S. and Israeli vision for the region.

“There is targeting of the Shiite community and its political and religious leaders, and today it is an existential war, whether in Iran, Lebanon, or Iraq,” said Qassir, author of a book about Hezbollah. “The United States and Israel want to impose their project on the region.”

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, contributed

By JANIE HAR

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, second-generation Japanese American soldiers signed up to fight for the United States in World War II even as their families were locked up in government-run internment camps and declared “ alien enemies” of the state.

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Decades after they returned home from the war to face more racism and discrimination, the soldiers now are being honored in a new traveling exhibit kicking off in San Francisco called “I am an American: The Nisei Soldier Experience”. The title of the show comes from a large sign posted to a Japanese American storefront in Oakland, California, the day after Pearl Harbor.

The 1,500-square-foot exhibit features family photos, mementos and short bios of the Nisei men shared by their relatives to ensure that stories of past bravery endure for younger generations, especially as questions of nationality still persist.

A travel bag, ID card and handmade note holder

On display is a travel bag that belonged to Sgt. Gary Uchida, marked by drawings he made of his native Hawaii and places he went while in the Army.

There is a U.S. Army identification card on which Oregon-born George S. Hara wrote under nationality: American.

Rosalyn Tonai, Executive Director at the National Japanese American Historical Society, gestures toward a Hiroshi Mayeda’s Statement of United States Citizen of Japanese Ancestry displayed in the “I am an American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” exhibit at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Rihachi Mayewaki made a note holder from lumber scraps while imprisoned at Jerome camp in Arkansas. It features an American bald eagle and a blue star banner with three stars, one for each son: Ben, who helped collect, evaluate and interpret enemy intelligence; Charles, who trained as a rifleman with the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team; and Hachiro, who trained as a linguist and worked as a translator.

At the bottom of the holder is written “nintai,” the Japanese word for endurance.

“The father was incredibly proud he had three sons serving in the American army,” Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director of the National Veterans Network and co-curator of the exhibit, said last month at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the exhibit.

Fighting for their country

About 33,000 Japanese Americans fought in World War II, despite the U.S. government shipping an estimated 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry to desolate camps. Thousands were elderly or children too young to know the meaning of treason. Two-thirds were U.S. citizens. Their homes and businesses were seized while they were imprisoned, often in overcrowded, wooden bunk houses in bleak locations with harsh conditions.

The United States didn’t offer a formal apology until 1988.

“These soldiers wanted to prove they were loyal patriotic Americans, part of the greatest generation at that time and they were American — just like anybody else,” said Sato-Yamazaki, whose grandparents did not talk about their time in camp or at war. The garrison cap worn by her grandfather, Tech. Sgt. Dave Kawagoye, is featured in the exhibit. It contains the words “Go for Broke,” the motto of the famed 442nd.

Japanese Americans joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team or 100th Infantry Battalion, both highly awarded yet segregated units. They also served as linguists in the Military Intelligence Service. Some 800 Nisei soldiers were killed in action.

The five-year exhibit runs in San Francisco’s Presidio through August before heading off to 10 other cities, including Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Portland, Oregon. It is presented by the National Veterans Network, National Museum of the United States Army and the Army Historical Foundation.

People walk outside of the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center, which is displaying the “I am an American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” exhibit, in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

A class ring is found in France and returned

Among those featured in the exhibit is Staff Sgt. Robert Kuroda, who was unable to get work as a second-generation Japanese American in Hawaii solely because of his ancestry. So he signed up to fight in World War II, reasoning that if he fought for his country employers could no longer deny him a job.

On Oct. 20, 1944, Kuroda advanced through heavy enemy gunfire to take out two enemy machine gun nests after helping liberate the French town of Bruyères from Nazi occupation. He continued his assault until sniper fire killed him. He was 21.

Rosalyn Tonai, Executive Director at the National Japanese American Historical Society, looks toward Staff Sgt. Robert Kuroda’s class ring and Medal of Honor and Sgt. George Mukai’s compass displayed in the “I am an American: The Nisei Soldier Experience” exhibit during an interview at the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center in San Francisco, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Kuroda was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The medal citation noted that his “courageous actions and indomitable fighting spirit ensured the destruction of enemy resistance.”

On display in the exhibit are Kuroda’s Medal of Honor and high school class ring, which was prized in his family as he was the first of nine siblings to graduate.

The ring was missing until 2021 when a metal detector hobbyist named Sébastien Roure found it buried in a forest near Bruyères. Roure worked tirelessly to return the Farrington High School class ring to the Kurodas and now, the two families visit, using an app and high school French and English to communicate.

Before the exhibit, both the ring and medal had been displayed in a glass case at a cousin’s auto body shop near Honolulu.

“The family just felt if we could, in our own ways, help others, the country, know the sacrifices of the previous generation and what they did for our lives, then, even better,” said Kevin Kuroda, a nephew who traveled from Hawaii for the exhibit’s opening.

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran add yet more question marks around a U.S. economy already buffeted by on-and-off tariffs, weak hiring, and lingering inflationary pressures.

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What to know about the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway essential for global energy supply

The war has already raised oil prices and could lift prices at the pump as early as this week, but the ultimate impact on the economy and inflation will depend on the length and severity of the conflict, economists say. Should it wind down in a week or two, its economic effects would be minor and short-lived.

Yet a longer war that pushed oil past $100 a barrel for an extended period would worsen inflation, at least temporarily, while slowing growth and intensifying Americans’ unhappiness with the cost of essentials. After nearly five years of rising prices, concerns around affordability have undercut President Donald Trump’s support in polls and bolstered Democrats in recent elections.

For now, the price of a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 6.3% Monday to settle at $71.23. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 6.7% to $77.74 per barrel. An increase at that level, even if sustained, would barely lift inflation, economists said.

“While cost-conscious Americans who are dealing with an affordability crisis will not take this increase lightly, such an increase will not materially affect economic growth,” Joe Brusuelas, an economist at RSM, a consulting firm, said.

Stock prices rebounded to show a small gain Monday after initially falling sharply, a sign of optimism that the war will be short-lived.

But a longer-lasting conflict, particularly one that closed down the Strait of Hormuz at the edge of the Persian Gulf, through which roughly 25% of the world’s oil passes, could push oil past that $100 a barrel mark. Gas prices in the U.S. could then reach $3.50 a gallon, up from just under $3 on average nationwide on Monday.

Such price jumps would accelerate inflation in the U.S. and slow growth, economists said.

“Markets are right now really under-pricing the tail risk of a sustained engagement and an operation that does not wrap up quickly, restore travel through the Strait of Hormuz and get everything back to de-escalation and normal in a timely manner,” said Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative and an economic adviser to the Biden White House.

Here are some ways the war could affect the economy.

Inflation has lingered even as gas prices have fallen

While some measures of inflation have cooled in recent months, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure has been stuck at about 3% for roughly a year. That is above the central bank’s 2% target, and has occurred even as gas prices fell steadily in 2025.

Should gas prices rise significantly, air fares could also rise as airlines face bigger fuel costs. Shipping would also become more expensive, which could add to grocery prices.

Natural gas prices also jumped Monday, as roughly 20% of the world’s gas travels through the Strait of Hormuz and a liquid natural gas plant was shut down in Qatar. That could raise heating prices in the U.S. Natural gas has already gotten 10% more expensive in the past year, thanks in part to spiking energy usage by data centers powering AI.

Still, economists noted that the U.S. economy is not as oil-dependent as it has been in the past, with most Americans now working in services, rather than manufacturing.

And other factors may help keep oil price increases relatively limited. Rory Johnston, founder of Commodity Context, an oil analytics firm, pointed out that oil inventories were quite high before the conflict, which helped keep prices in check. That’s in sharp contrast to the winter of 2022, he said, when post-COVID supply chain problems had already pushed up oil costs even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a much bigger spike.

Monday’s increase “is a very minor spike relative to” what happened after Russia’s invasion, Johnston said.

Businesses may pull back amid uncertainty

If the Iran war drags on for months, it could also torpedo business confidence, which could lead companies to invest and hire less, said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide Financial.

“When there is an injection of new uncertainty into the business environment … that’s a hit to confidence,” she said.

The result could be similar to the impact of Trump’s tariffs, which did not raise prices as much as many economists feared, but did appear to weigh on job gains. Hiring in 2025 was the weakest, outside of a recession, since 2002.

Consumers sour further on economy

Even without a big inflation spike, a major risk for Trump is that Americans sour on his economic leadership.

According to surveys, Americans already have a gloomy outlook on the economy, largely because of the lingering effects of the price spikes of the past five years. Trump’s attempts to portray the U.S. as in a “golden age” have had little impact on those attitudes.

A protracted conflict in Iran that raised gas prices would likely make it worse, Jacquez said.

“People generally don’t think that President Trump is focused on the things that they are focused on,” Jacquez added, “and what they want him to be focused on is the price of groceries. What they think he’s focused on are things like tariffs and foreign policy.”

By SIMINA MISTREANU and STEFANIE DAZIO

Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travelers are getting out — by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks.

Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to $232,000 as major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, Qatar, were closed after the start of the conflict last weekend.

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Travelers from Dubai, usually known as a safe and luxurious destination, are seeking to evacuate by traveling overland either to Muscat, Oman, about a four-hour drive, or to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, more than 10 hours away. Then they board one of the few available commercial flights or take a charter flight, whose costs have soared since the start of the war.

“The demand is huge, and we can’t deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand,” said Altay Kula, CEO of the France-based private jet broker JET-VIP.

Whereas normally a charter flight on a private jet that can accommodate up to 16 passengers from Riyadh to Porto in Portugal may cost around $115,800 these days, the cost has doubled, Kula said.

“This increase in cost reflects the aircraft’s scarcity, the repositioning costs as well, and the operator risk assessments. So this is not speculative pricing,” he added.

Prices can vary depending on the departure point, the type of aircraft and the route constraints, said Ameerh Naran, CEO of Vimana Private Jets. For flights from the Gulf region to Europe, prices are ranging from $173,800 to $232,000, he added.

In order to reach functional airports such as those in Riyadh and Muscat, some travelers hire private security companies that coordinate transportation in vehicles ranging from ordinary passenger cars to coach buses.

Light traffic moves along a main road in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

Due to the heavy traffic, wait times at border points with Oman can be up to four hours, while costs range in the thousands of dollars, said Ian McCaul, operations and planning director with Alma Risk, a U.K.-based risk management and security firm.

Those seeking to leave are predominantly stranded travelers, as opposed to residents, McCaul added.

He estimates his company has made transfer arrangements for more than 200 people and advised several others in recent days.

Vimana’s clients include business executives, families and entrepreneurs, as well as remote workers who had been based in the region, Naran said.

A few people walk in a public plaza in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

Elie Hanna, CEO for the Middle East headquarters of Air Charter Service, based in Dubai, said most of the flights out of the region are leaving from Oman. The prices are so high, he said, because few charter planes are available since most of them are stuck at airports that are now closed.

The clients he is seeing range from people who regularly charter private, as well as people who generally fly commercial but are trying to pool resources with other travelers or families to share the expense.

“Everyone is stressed,” Hanna said. “To be honest, everyone is trying to accommodate as much as they can. Muscat Airport is overloaded with flights and everybody is stressed.”

Experts from the International SOS security and health services company expect the fighting to continue to affect transportation and energy infrastructure for weeks.