Iran has declared a 40-day period of mourning after state media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes attributed to the United States and Israel. State outlets also reported the deaths of several senior security officials and members of Khamenei’s family, including his daughter, son‑in‑law and grandson, calling the losses among the most significant to Iran’s leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the attacks as “a great crime,” announced seven days of public holidays and confirmed the start of the mourning period. Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s correspondent said large crowds had gathered in the capital and that public ceremonies were expected to take place even as bombardment continued in parts of the country.
State television and footage showed mourners at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, with some people visibly distressed. Demonstrations denouncing the strikes were reported in several cities including Shiraz, Yasuj and Lorestan. International agencies, including Reuters, also reported small pockets of celebrations in Tehran, Karaj and Isfahan.
The reports of Khamenei’s death prompted reactions beyond Iran. Iraq declared three days of public mourning as protesters clashed with security forces near Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone. Video footage verified by Al Jazeera showed crowds waving flags and attempting to move toward the US Embassy, with some blocking traffic near Green Zone entrances. In Karachi, Pakistan, verified footage showed protesters attacking the US consulate, breaking windows and setting fires.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency said that, temporarily, a three‑person council comprising the president, the chief justice and a jurist from the Guardian Council would assume the supreme leader’s duties until a new leader is selected. Khamenei, who succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, was widely credited with shaping Iran’s military and paramilitary institutions and expanding its regional influence.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed retaliation, saying it had struck 27 bases hosting US forces in the region and targeted Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv. Explosions and heightened security alerts were reported across the Gulf, including in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The United States responded with a warning from President Donald Trump on social media, saying Iran would face unprecedented force if it retaliated further. Iranian strikes since the initial attacks were reported to have targeted Israeli and US assets across several Middle East countries, with incidents noted in Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Analysts quoted by media cautioned about the broader implications. Harlan Ullman, chairman of the Killowen Group and an Atlantic Council adviser, said the strikes risked miscalculation, warning that “decapitation only works when you get all the leaders” and suggesting Iran’s leadership was unlikely to enter negotiations soon.
Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, reported at least 201 fatalities from the joint US‑Israeli strikes across 24 provinces. State outlets said a strike on an elementary girls’ school in Minab killed at least 148 people and wounded 95, with authorities indicating the toll remained subject to revision as rescue and recovery efforts continued.