With no clarity yet on succession in Tehran, the strike has triggered regional retaliation, global alarm, and urgent diplomatic outreach from major powers, including India.
File photo of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei during a public address in Tehran. | IANS
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has been killed in coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel, according to Iranian state media and a senior Israeli official who spoke to news agency Reuters. Tehran has announced 40 days of public mourning.
The reported killing of the 86-year-old cleric marks a dramatic moment in Iran’s 46-year-old Shia theocratic system. It ends Khamenei’s 36-year hold over the country and leaves a sudden vacuum at the top of its political and religious hierarchy. There is no clarity yet on who would take charge.
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US President Donald Trump announced the operation on Saturday, saying the Iranian leader had been tracked through advanced intelligence systems working “closely with Israel”. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said there was nothing Khamenei or other leaders killed alongside him “could do” to escape.
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Within hours of the strikes, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles targeting Israel and several Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. Iran’s news agency carried a claim by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that it had struck a supply ship.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said reports indicated that around 20 cities across Iran, among them Tehran, Qom, Shahriar, Isfahan, and Tabriz, had come under attack.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the spiralling confrontation was “dangerous for everyone” and called for it to stop.
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke separately with Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Posting on X, Jaishankar said he had conveyed India’s “deep concern” and repeated the call for dialogue and diplomacy to cool tensions.
There were reports that the Iranian port city of Chabahar was also hit. It remains unclear whether the infrastructure developed with India’s cooperation was affected.
The US strikes came shortly after midnight in Washington, during the day in Iran, two days after negotiations in Geneva, facilitated by Oman, ended without a breakthrough. Trump had earlier expressed frustration that talks were not yielding a complete halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Last month, Iran saw large protests over rising prices. The government cracked down, with reports saying thousands were killed.
In a video message, Trump went beyond the nuclear issue and urged Iranians to “take over” their government, calling it a rare opportunity. He said the US stood behind them with “overwhelming strength”.
Videos circulating on X appeared to show some Iranians celebrating the reported death. There were, however, no signs of a widespread uprising.
Reza Pahlavi, son of the former Shah who was overthrown in 1979, said he was ready to help “rebuild Iran”. There is no indication he has US backing or broad support within the country.
The scale of casualties remains uncertain. Iran’s news agency IRNA quoted a local official as saying 57 students were killed and 60 injured after a missile hit a girls’ school in Minab in southern Iran. Guterres put the reported death toll in Iran at 85, including two at a school in Tehran.
Pakistan said one of its citizens had died in the UAE.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said UK forces were active as part of “coordinated regional defensive operations”. China and Russia sharply criticised the US-Israel action. Guterres condemned what he described as a widening military escalation that threatened international peace and security.
The region now waits to see who emerges to lead Iran, and whether the violence spreads further.
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