Iran’s state media said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a large-scale U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, a watershed moment that jolted the region and set off competing scenes of mourning and celebration across the country. State television announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays for the leader, who had ruled since 1989.
A presenter on state TV vowed Khamenei’s “path and mission” would continue with “greater vigour and zeal.” The claim of his death, which Iranian and Israeli officials addressed publicly, could not be independently verified amid ongoing strikes and communications disruptions.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States worked closely with Israel to target Khamenei and other senior figures, asserting that 48 Iranian leaders had been killed in the bombardment. He said he would “be talking” to Iranian officials but suggested much of the leadership was dead. The Pentagon has named the U.S. campaign Operation Epic Fury, Trump said, describing the aim as eliminating “imminent threats” and ensuring Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.
Israel’s military said it launched a fresh wave of strikes in Tehran, and residents reported multiple explosions across the capital. Plumes of smoke were seen over the city in the morning as sirens and air defenses activated, according to witnesses and videos circulating on social media.
As reports of Khamenei’s death spread late Sunday, some Iranians set off fireworks and played music in the streets. Others flocked to central Tehran dressed in black, waving flags, holding photographs of the leader and chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” in Enghelab (Revolution) Square. Turnout varied by neighborhood, with many residents cautious after a deadly crackdown on protests in January.
Iran began arranging a temporary transfer of authority. The ISNA news agency said cleric Alireza Arafi, a jurist member of the Guardian Council, was appointed to the Leadership Council that assumes the supreme leader’s duties until the Assembly of Experts selects a successor. He will serve alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.
International reaction broke swiftly and starkly. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences to Iran’s president and called the killing an assassination and a “cynical violation” of morality and international law. China’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the attack, labeling it a serious breach of Iran’s sovereignty and the U.N. Charter. France’s government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon, by contrast, said Paris could “only be satisfied” with Khamenei’s demise, calling him a “bloodthirsty dictator.”
Tensions climbed further as Iran’s armed forces vowed their largest-ever counterstrike against U.S. bases and Israel. Ali Larijani, Iran’s national security chief, warned on X that Tehran would hit both countries with “a force that they have never experienced before.” Trump issued his own warning on Truth Social, writing that any Iranian retaliation would be met “with a force that has never been seen before.”
The Red Crescent said at least 201 people were killed and hundreds injured in strikes across Iran. The judiciary confirmed the deaths of Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ground forces. In southern Iran, the death toll from a strike on Minab School rose to 153, according to the Mizan news agency. Israel’s military said it was “not aware” of any U.S. or Israeli strike on the school and emphasized it was “operating in an extremely accurate manner.” U.S. Central Command said it was aware of reports of civilian harm and was reviewing them.
The violence reverberated beyond Iran. Fresh blasts rattled Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Manama after Iranian strikes claimed as retaliation. In Israel, at least nine people were reported killed in Beit Shemesh as air raid sirens sounded across the country and interceptors streaked over Tel Aviv.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The United States and Israel had warned after a 12-day air war in June that further strikes would follow if Iran pressed on with its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
While the apparent loss of Khamenei and other senior figures would deal Iran a profound blow, analysts said it does not necessarily spell the end of the Islamic Republic’s entrenched clerical system or the Revolutionary Guard’s power. The Leadership Council mechanism, though rarely used, is designed to preserve continuity as the Assembly of Experts deliberates over succession.
Trump framed the campaign as “justice for the people of Iran” and urged Iranians to “take over” their country. Whether that call translates into a broader uprising—or instead hardens Iran’s security response—will hinge on what happens in the coming hours as both sides brace for potential escalation.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
