Iran top leader Khamenei killed

PALM BEACH, United States, Mar 1 (AFP): Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since 1989 and sworn enemy of the West, was killed in the opening salvo of a massive US and Israeli attack that extended into a second day Sunday, as the two powers seek to topple the Islamic republic.

Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei's death early Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric he described as "one of the most evil people in History."

However, Iran state television announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays following the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been in power since 1989.

"With the martyrdom of the supreme leader, his path and mission neither will be lost nor will be forgotten, on the other hand, they will be pursued with greater vigour and zeal," a presenter said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and two top other officials will lead Iran in the transitional period following the death of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, state television reported on Sunday.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and another official from the country's legal council will be part of the trio overseeing the transition, according to state television which cited Mohammad Mokhber, one of Khamenei's advisors.

Alireza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as the jurist member of Iran's Leadership Council, a body tasked with fulfilling the supreme leader's role until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader, ISNA news agency reported.

A cleric member of the Guardian Council, Arafi will be part of the temporary Leadership Council alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

The attack came weeks after Iranian authorities ruthlessly put down mass protests, killing thousands.

Loud explosions again pierced Tehran in the early hours, as Trump vowed no let-up in the strikes until the fall of the Islamic republic and urged security forces to stand down.

"This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country," Trump said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly said to Iranians, "This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future."

Iran responded to the attack with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv as explosions rocked the showcase cities of Gulf Arab monarchies.

The Israeli army said that Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Khamenei, and the head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were also killed.

Along with Khamenei, Iranian media said that his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter were killed.

One prominent survivor, Ali Larijani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, vowed defiance.

"The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors," he said.

Iran had already seen intense speculation on a successor to Khamenei, given his age. Upon his death, many observers expected greater power for the Revolutionary Guards, which are deeply entrenched in the Iranian economy.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late pro-Western shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution, warned that any successor within the system would be illegitimate.

He called on Iranians to "stay vigilant" and then to take to the streets in massive numbers when he issues a call.

Hailing the reported demise of Khamenei, only the second supreme leader of the cleric-run state after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Pahlavi said, "With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history."

Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile near Washington, has presented himself as a transitional figure to a secular democracy, although he does not enjoy support from all the opposition.

Iran's Red Crescent society said that at least 201 people had been killed in the strikes and more than 700 wounded.

AP adds: An enormous explosion rocked Iran's capital Sunday as the Israeli military said it was targeting the heart of the city. Earlier, Iran fired missiles at an ever-widening list of targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states in retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel.

The blast in Tehran - whose target was not immediately clear - sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky and shook the ground. It appeared centered in neighborhoods home to the country's police headquarters and Iranian state television, as well as Tehran's Revolutionary Court and a Defense Ministry building.

Iran retaliates

After the initial strikes, Iran immediately launched missiles and drones toward Israel and into Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of worldwide oil exports transported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.

In repeated barrages at targets across Israel, one person was killed and more than 120 injured, according to authorities. Many missiles were intercepted, the military said.

Flights across the Middle East were disrupted, and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' commercial capital, which has long drawn business and expatriates by billing itself as a safe haven in a volatile region. Explosions continued into Sunday morning in Dubai.

Shrapnel from Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates' capital of Abu Dhabi killed two people, state media said, and debris from aerial interceptions caused fires at the city's main port and on the facade of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel.

Attacks also extended into Oman - Iran's longtime interlocutor with the West that hadn't been drawn into the fray previously.

Saudi Arabia said Iran targeted its capital and eastern region in an attack that was repelled, and Jordan said it "dealt with" 49 drones and ballistic missiles. Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar's military also said they had intercepted projectiles Sunday morning.

In Iraq, a militant group claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting American bases in Irbil, according to the Rudaw media outlet. Smoke could be seen from an area where the U.S. has an air base there, but it was not immediately clear whether it had been hit.

Iran forms council to govern until a new supreme leader is chosen

As supreme leader, Khamenei had final say on all major policies during his decades in power. He led Iran's clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard, the two main centers of power in the governing theocracy.

Iran quickly formed a council to govern the country until a new supreme leader is chosen.

The strikes also killed several senior officials, including: Iran's army chief of staff, Gen. Abdol Rahim Mousavi; Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh; Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, who took over as the Revolutionary Guard's top commander after Israel killed its past commander in the June war; and Ali Shamkhani, a top security adviser to Khamenei.