Overview
- Tehran confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes Iranian officials attribute to a joint U.S.-Israeli operation.
- An interim three-person council—Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Alireza Arafi—is in place and exercising the late leader’s authorities.
- The 88-cleric Assembly of Experts is organizing the selection process for a successor, with no official nominee named as analysts warn the IRGC could gain influence during the transition.
- Iran has vowed revenge and launched regional counterstrikes, with explosions reported across Gulf states and Israeli officials citing missile impacts in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
- Russia’s Vladimir Putin condemned the operation as a cynical violation of morality and international law and sent condolences, as Iranians showed both mourning and celebration in public gatherings.