Trump and Iranian state media confirm the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei
· Citizen
Thousands of mourners gathered on Sunday in the centre of Iran’s capital after the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to AFP journalists.
The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel” in Enghelab Square, with many waving Iran’s flags and holding photos of Khamenei.
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Iranian state television reported Khamenei’s death in the early hours of Sunday, broadcasting archive images with a black banner.
Iranian media also reported the deaths of Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.
US President Donald Trump also confirmed the death via his Truth Social platform
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead.
“Heavy and pinpoint bombing… will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST”, Trump wrote.
40-day mourning period for Khamenei
Iranian state television announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays following the ayatollah’s death.
The country’s judiciary confirmed Sunday that the chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, and another top security adviser, Ali Shamkhani were also “martyred” in the strikes.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the campaign sent a message to those who would do harm to Americans: “We will hunt you down and we will kill you.”
Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s late shah, hailed the killing of Khamenei, saying the Islamic republic was entering the “dustbin of history.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and two top other officials will lead the country in a transitional period following the death of Khamenei, state television reported.
US and Israel attack Iran
The joint US-Israeli operation began earlier on Saturday with smoke rising over Tehran after strikes that Israel said were pre-emptive.
Shortly after, Trump announced US combat operations, with the goal of “eliminating imminent threats”.
Israel’s military said it targeted multiple sites where senior Iranian officials had gathered in Tehran, and launched strikes against Iranian missile launchers.
It said 200 fighter jets had taken part in the “extensive attack”, hitting more than 500 targets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks killed senior Iranian officials and warned that thousands more targets would be struck in the coming days.
The Iranian judiciary said 108 people died in a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, citing a provincial official who blamed Israel.
AFP was unable to access the location to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.
A new series of powerful blasts were heard Sunday in Tehran, AFP journalists in the Iranian capital reported. The source of the blasts was not immediately clear.
Iranian response
In response to the US and Israeli attacks, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and other American bases in the Gulf on Saturday, after launching a first wave of missile and drone attacks at Israel.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said a woman was killed and at least 21 injured in the Tel Aviv area.
The Israeli military said it deployed search and rescue teams to multiple locations across the country following reports of fallen projectiles.
After Khamenei’s death, the Guards said Sunday they would launch the “most ferocious” operation in history against Israel and US bases.
Allied support, warnings
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting over the fighting, with Iran’s envoy accusing the US and Israel of committing a possible “war crime” by attacking civilians.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said military action in the Middle East “carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control”.
Oman’s foreign minister, who has been mediating talks between Tehran and Washington, said he was “dismayed” by the violence.
The European Union said developments in Iran were “perilous”.
Gulf states condemned Iran’s “cowardly” attacks in a joint statement read by Bahrain’s ambassador during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Russia slammed the US-Israeli strikes as a “dangerous adventure” that could spark regional “catastrophe”.
Another Iranian ally, Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, called on countries and people in the region to stand against Israel and the US.
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel all closed their airspaces to civilian traffic, at least in part, and multiple airlines cancelled flights to the Middle East.
Russia cancelled commercial flights to both Iran and Israel “until further notice”.
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