Iran has launched a 40-day mourning period after state media said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes by the United States and Israel. Top security officials were also reported killed in Saturday’s attacks, along with Khamenei’s daughter, son‑in‑law and grandson — a blow to Iran’s leadership described as among the most significant since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killings as “a great crime” and announced seven days of public holidays in addition to the mourning period. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said large numbers of people poured into the capital’s streets and that ceremonies were expected, likely taking place amid ongoing bombardment across the country.
State footage showed mourners at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, with several people visibly distraught. Protests denouncing the killings were reported in other Iranian cities including Shiraz, Yasuj and Lorestan, while Reuters and other agencies reported pockets of celebrations in Tehran, Karaj and Isfahan.
The killing sparked demonstrations beyond Iran. Iraq declared three days of public mourning as protesters confronted security forces in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone; videos verified by Al Jazeera showed crowds waving flags, shouting slogans and attempting to mobilise toward the US Embassy, with some blocking traffic near Green Zone entrances. In Pakistan, footage verified by Al Jazeera showed protesters attacking the US consulate in Karachi, smashing windows and setting fires.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said a three‑person council — the president, the chief justice and a jurist from the Guardian Council — would temporarily assume the supreme leader’s responsibilities until a new leader is selected. Khamenei had led Iran since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and was credited with shaping the country’s military and paramilitary institutions and expanding its regional influence.
Attacks across the region
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed revenge and said it struck 27 bases hosting US forces in the region and targeted Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv. Explosions and security alerts were reported in countries across the Gulf, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
US President Donald Trump warned on social media that Iran would face unprecedented force if it retaliated. Iranian strikes since Saturday targeted Israeli and US assets across multiple Middle East countries, with incidents reported in Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Harlan Ullman, chairman of the Killowen Group and an Atlantic Council adviser, suggested the US may have miscalculated, saying “decapitation only works when you get all the leaders,” and warned that Iran’s leadership was unlikely to enter negotiations soon.
Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, reported at least 201 people killed in the joint US‑Israeli attacks across 24 provinces. State outlets said a strike on an elementary girls’ school in Minab killed at least 148 people and wounded 95, with tolls still rising according to authorities.
