Iran held funeral proceedings for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a three-member interim Leadership Council was named and fighting spread across the region. State media said the council will temporarily exercise the supreme leader’s duties until the Assembly of Experts appoints a successor. Reports named Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeibe on the panel. Pezeshkian, one of the senior officials who survived the initial strikes, pledged “blood and revenge” and vowed broad retaliation.
Funeral and domestic reactions
Thousands gathered in Tehran for funeral rites at the University of Tehran. Domestic responses were mixed: some cities saw scenes of celebration after news of Khamenei’s death, while others staged demonstrations demanding vengeance or protesting the war. Iranian-aligned and opposing demonstrations also erupted abroad, with attempts reported to breach Baghdad’s Green Zone and protests in Karachi and Kashmir.
Iranian strikes and regional effects
Iran launched sustained missile and drone attacks across the Persian Gulf and at what it described as U.S. and Israeli targets. State outlets reported strikes on U.S. bases in the Gulf and in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Explosions were reported or heard in Dubai, Doha and Manama, and later in Riyadh.
Oman said two drones struck the Duqm commercial port, injuring one foreign worker after a drone hit accommodation and debris from another fell near fuel tanks. Omani officials also reported an oil tanker hit off the coast; its crew were evacuated and four members were injured. Videos circulating online showed the tanker on fire and partially submerged.
Israeli and U.S. operations
The Israel Defense Forces said it had struck targets “in the heart of Tehran” and announced it had destroyed a large portion of Iran’s missile stockpiles and damaged production capabilities. Israel also said several senior Iranian officials were killed in early strikes. U.S. Central Command said it was assessing reports of civilian harm and stressed efforts to reduce unintended casualties amid ongoing operations.
Contested civilian casualty reports
Iranian authorities accused strikes of hitting a girl’s elementary school in Minab, reporting more than 100 dead, including students. Israeli spokespeople said they were not aware of any U.S. or Israeli strike on that school and reiterated that operations were conducted with precision. CENTCOM said it was investigating reported civilian impacts.
International responses
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described Khamenei’s death as a defining moment and said the EU was coordinating with regional partners to pursue de-escalation and support paths for Iranians to shape their future. The pope appealed to halt the “spiral of violence” and urged moral responsibility to avoid catastrophe. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing and called it a violation of morality and international law; Russia also requested a special IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna to discuss the strikes. North Korea denounced the U.S.-Israel assault as illegal aggression.
Regional and militant reactions
Lebanon’s Hezbollah pledged to confront what it called U.S. and Israeli aggression. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim agency reported that Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued a fatwa calling for jihad against America and Israel to avenge Khamenei’s death. Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned of devastating reprisals.
Security advisories and warnings
U.S. diplomatic posts issued multiple advisories: the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain moved personnel out of hotels in Manama after a reported strike on a hotel and urged Americans to avoid hotels there; the U.S. Embassy in Oman told staff and U.S. citizens in Muscat to shelter in place. Britain’s defense secretary said two ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, noting British bases and personnel in the region could be at risk.
Leaders and lawmakers
U.S. President Trump warned on social media that a severe Iranian strike would prompt an unprecedented American response and said precision bombing would continue as necessary. Several U.S. Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton, said there were no plans for a large-scale ground invasion but described ongoing air and naval campaigns and contingency efforts such as rescuing downed pilots. Rep. Rick Crawford predicted continued strikes aimed at degrading missile capabilities and suggested conditions might be favorable for regime change.
Military, intelligence and oversight developments
Satellite imagery showed heavy damage at Khamenei’s compound in Tehran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced plans for what state media described as an unprecedented offensive against U.S. bases and Israel. Israel claimed to have prevented Iran from producing at least 1,500 additional missiles by hitting production sites. The IAEA scheduled a special Board of Governors meeting at Russia’s request to consider the strikes’ implications for nuclear monitoring; the agency noted that much of Iran’s nuclear material remained despite earlier operations.
Humanitarian concerns and uncertainty
Reports of injuries, damage and displacement have emerged across multiple countries. Analysts warned the violence could either open space for civil change in Iran or enable hardliners to consolidate control, prolonging instability. The strikes and counterstrikes have raised fears of a wider regional war and deep uncertainty about Iran’s political future and the risk of escalating reprisals.
Ongoing, fluid situation
Claims and counterclaims about targets, casualties and responsibility continue to be reported by Iran, the U.S., Israel and regional governments. International leaders called for restraint while Iran and allied groups vowed further retaliation and the U.S. and Israel signaled more military actions could follow. The interim leadership council has assumed temporary authority as funeral rites proceed and the Assembly of Experts prepares to select a permanent successor.