The Tehran government declared seven days of state holidays and 40 days of national mourning.
The Organisation of Religious Councils, a state coordination body, said it had turned religious groups into “neighbourhood resistance headquarters”. It said the duties of these headquarters would include “actively shaping narratives,” “preventing the formation of destructive narratives,” and preparing to “manage information vacuums.”
Following the announcement of Khamenei’s death, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani urged officials to focus on serving the public, while Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, expressed condolences without issuing any specific fatwas or decisions.
On the morning of 28 February, the Israeli military struck Iranian territory. Hours after Israel announced what it called a “pre-emptive strike”, US President Donald Trump said Washington had launched “major combat operations” against Iran.
In a video message posted on social media, Donald Trump said his goal was to “protect the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.”
Iranian media reported explosions in several cities, notably Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Qumi, Lorestan and Chabahar. In Tehran, the strikes targeted Iran’s top leadership.
Israel and the US claimed the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran confirmed this, saying that an Interim Leadership Council would be formed today and would include Iran’s president, the chairman of the judiciary and a lawyer from the Guardian Council.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded to the US and Israeli strikes by launching several waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel. Iran has also launched missiles at several Middle Eastern countries where US Armed Forces bases are located. Explosions were reported in Bahrain, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The strikes came just days after nuclear talks between the US and Iran, casting doubt on the planned continuation of talks next week in Vienna as Washington steps up its military presence in the region.
Khamenei’s supporters honour his memory in several cities. Iran has declared 40 days of mourning