Iranian state media confirmed that 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died Saturday in U.S. and Israeli strikes targeting a high-level military meeting in Tehran, killing other top officials like Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and the IRGC chief.
Iran declared 40 days of mourning, with President Masoud Pezeshkian vowing revenge and crowds attacking the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, though reactions split between grief and street celebrations reflecting discontent with his 36-year hard-line rule.
Ayatollah Arafi was named acting leader as the Assembly of Experts prepares a successor, amid international condemnations like Russia’s and fears of wider conflict following Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
