TEHRAN – Iranian leaders pledged on Sunday to avenge the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, launching a new wave of strikes on U.S. military bases across the Gulf, despite Donald Trump’s threat of an unprecedented escalation.
Pakistan Claims Heavy Taliban Losses in Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq
Amidst massive crowds in Tehran, explosions were reported in the city, while Israeli forces confirmed airstrikes on Iranian targets. Additional blasts were heard in Jerusalem, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, and Manama.
Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Khamenei’s killing as a “declaration of war against Muslims,” declaring that Iran considered it its duty to avenge those responsible. Ali Larijani also vowed that Iranian forces would teach an “unforgettable lesson to international oppressors.”
Iran’s first retaliatory strikes on Saturday had hit Gulf states, injuring a foreign worker at the Duqm port in Oman and impacting a tanker off the sultanate’s coast. State media reported that 201 people were killed across Iran, including top officials Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour. A school in southern Iran was also struck, killing 108, according to the judiciary.
Outside Iran, protests erupted in Pakistan, with at least eight people killed in Karachi during demonstrations outside the U.S. consulate. Iranian missile and drone strikes also targeted Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi, leaving at least two people dead.
Speculation over Iran’s succession intensified, with Pezeshkian and two other top officials designated to lead during the transitional period. Opposition figure Reza Pahlavi called any successor within the current system illegitimate, asserting that Khamenei’s death marked the effective end of the Islamic Republic.
The situation remains highly fluid, with fears of further escalation across the Middle East as Iran continues its retaliatory campaign.
