Tehran [Iran], March 1 (ANI): Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani on Sunday warned of a “far more crushing response” against the United States and Israel following what Iranian media described as the martyrdom of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tasnim News Agency reported that Larijani said the Iranian nation had thwarted what he described as U.S. and Israeli plans through unity and resilience. He stated that constitutional provisions would guide the country during the absence of leadership.
Referring to Article 110 of Iran’s Constitution, Larijani explained that if the country is without a leader, the president, the head of the judiciary and one jurist member of the Constitutional Council, selected by the Expediency Discernment Council, would temporarily assume the leader’s duties until a successor is elected. He said the process to form the provisional leadership council was being pursued immediately and would be carried out as soon as possible.
The news agency reported that Khamenei was killed in a Saturday attack by what officials described as “criminal” U.S.-Israeli forces. He had led Iran since 1989, following the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
According to Tasnim, the Iranian Armed Forces have since launched large-scale missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli-held areas and American bases in the region in response to the attack.
Iran is observing 40 days of public mourning following Khamenei’s death, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media. The Supreme Leader’s office has declared a period of national mourning, with flags flying at half-staff and public gatherings planned to pay respects, marking the end of a 37-year chapter in the Islamic Republic’s history.
Authorities have heightened security across the country, particularly in major cities such as Tehran, to prevent unrest and ensure public safety.
Attention is now focused on the process of selecting Khamenei’s successor, with speculation about potential candidates and the impact on Iran’s future leadership. However, convening under wartime conditions remains difficult, and questions persist over who will shape the future of the republic — the clerical establishment or the Revolutionary Guard.
His death is being portrayed by state media as the “Martyrdom of the Guardian,” framing his end not as a defeat but as a final sacrifice for the sovereignty of the nation.
The official Farsi account of Khamenei acknowledged his death and posted a verse from the Quran on X early Sunday. According to Tasnim News, Khamenei was killed at his workplace in the early hours of Sunday. (ANI)
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