Iran confirmed this Sunday the death of the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and promised revenge with a “harsh and decisive” punishment through the largest military operation in its history against US and Israeli targets, which in turn announced more attacks against the Persian country.
“We have lost our great leader and we mourn him (….) His martyrdom at the hands of the most terrible terrorists and exterminators of humanity is a symbol of his virtue,” the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said in a statement.
The elite military body said after confirming the death of the 86-year-old cleric in Saturday’s Israeli-US attacks that the Iranian nation will take revenge and “will not leave his killers alone until they face harsh, decisive and regrettable punishment.”
How the supreme leader fell: a clue from the CIA could be the key
The CIA followed for months the trail of the ayatollah whom Israel was able to kill thanks to the information from that US agency about the place and time of a meeting of the Iranian supreme leader with other senior officials, The New York Times reports this Sunday.
The United States and Israel originally planned to attack Tehran at night, but delayed the operation in part because the CIA learned that there was going to be a meeting on Saturday morning in the complex of buildings where Khamenei resides, the newspaper indicates, citing several sources familiar with the operation.
The US intelligence agency was able to know that Khamenei himself was going to be present at the complex during that meeting, along with many senior officials, which made it possible to eliminate many of them in a single attack.
The Minister of Defense and the commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guard die
A state television presenter reported the death and said the country would enter a 40-day period of mourning.
Iran also confirmed this Sunday the death of the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard, General Mohamad Pakpur, and the secretary of the Defense Council, Ali Shamjani, according to state television Press TV, which did not offer further details of the death of the two senior officials.
Ali Shamjani, Khamenei’s advisor, is considered the architect of the Iranian defense strategy, which he promoted from his position as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran (2013-2023).
Likewise, the daughter, son-in-law and grandson of Iran’s supreme leader were killed in the attacks, the Fars news agency, related to the Revolutionary Guard, reported this Sunday.
Who assumes leadership after Khamenei’s death?
Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump had announced the death of Khamenei, who has served as supreme leader of Iran since 1989, and called on the Iranian people to “take back” their country.
Following the announcements of the deaths, a council consisting of the President of Iran, Masud Pezeshkian, the head of the Iranian Judiciary, Golamhosein Mohseni Eyei, and a jurist from the Guardian Council will assume leadership of the nation.
These three people will take charge of the “transitional period” after Khamenei’s death, the state agency IRNA reported this Sunday.
