Iran Announces Interim Leadership After US-Israeli Strikes Kill Supreme Leader Khamenei
NEW DELHI: | Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said on Sunday that the formal transition of leadership following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would begin later in the day, according to state media reports. Speaking to state television, Larijani confirmed that an interim leadership council will be constituted shortly to steer the country until a new Supreme Leader is selected. The temporary body will include President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, and a jurist from the Guardian Council — the powerful institution tasked with ensuring legislation aligns with Sharia law and the Iranian Constitution.
Larijani, who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and previously served as an advisor to Khamenei, stated that efforts were underway to establish the council as early as Sunday. “The president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council will assume responsibility until the election of the next leader,” he said, emphasizing that the process would move forward without delay.
Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that Iran is prepared for “all scenarios,” including the political roadmap following Khamenei’s death. He warned that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “crossed red lines” and would face consequences. Trump, however, cautioned Tehran against retaliatory action, saying the United States would respond with unprecedented force if Iran launched further attacks. In a public statement, he warned that any escalation by Iran would trigger a military response “never been seen before.”
The rising tensions come as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed severe retribution for Khamenei’s killing. In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the IRGC promised what it described as the “most ferocious offensive operation in history” against the United States and Israel. It declared that Iran’s armed forces, alongside the Basij militia, would continue defending the nation and safeguarding Khamenei’s legacy against both domestic and foreign threats. Further escalating the situation, the IRGC announced the launch of the fifth phase of “Operation True Promise 4,” claiming to have targeted American vessels in the region, including ships in the Indian Ocean allegedly transporting ammunition and refuelling tankers.
A number of senior figures in Iran known to have been killed in Saturday’s strikes on Iran include, the country’s armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi and commander of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour. Iran Announces Interim Leadership After US-Israeli Strikes Kill Supreme Leader Khamenei, Other Top Officials
Iranian state media, including IRNA, state broadcaster IRIB, and Fars News Agency, officially confirmed on Sunday, March 1, 2026, that supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aged 86, was killed in US-Israeli strikes. According to media reports, Khamenei’s office compound in Tehran was attacked during a meeting with senior aides. President Donald Trump announced his death Saturday, and Iranian state television confirmed it hours later. According to reports in Reuters, Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and daughter-in-law were also killed in Israeli strikes. Iran has declared 40 days of state mourning and announced seven days of public holidays.
A number of senior figures in Iran known to have been killed in Saturday’s strikes on Iran include, the country’s armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour. An intelligence source and military source has told CBS News that overall around 40 Iranian officials were killed in the strikes. Iran has reportedly appointed Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, a former defence and interior minister, as the new commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to Iranian media.The strikes were part of a broader US-Israeli military operation aimed at regime targets, with President Donald Trump announcing Khamenei’s death earlier and describing it as “justice” while urging Iranians to overthrow the clerical regime.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched hundreds of missiles and drones targeting Israeli military sites and at least 27 US bases or assets across the Gulf region. Explosions and air-raid sirens were reported in Tel Aviv, as well as in Dubai where damage at Jebel Ali port and Dubai International Airport were reported. Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, and other Gulf locations, according to Reuters, have also witnessed several attacks.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf vowed severe revenge, describing the strikes as crossing a “red line”. Israel conducted additional strikes on Iranian ballistic missile and air-defense sites on Sunday, with no indication of de-escalation. With no publicly designated successor prior to his death, Iran has activated constitutional procedures for leadership transition. According to reports in BBC and Reuters, Security official Ali Larijani announced on state television that a temporary leadership council, comprising Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, and a senior jurist from the Guardian Council, will manage affairs in the interim.
Under Iran’s constitution, the 88-member Assembly of Experts (a body of senior clerics) is responsible for selecting the new Supreme Leader “as soon as possible”, media report.
(Bureau Report with Mediaa Inputs ).
