Iran's interim leadership council is named after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during a US-Israel attack
Following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US–Israeli strike, Tehran has announced the formation of an interim leadership council to ensure continuity while a new Supreme Leader is selected. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, working alongside judiciary chief Mohseni Ejehei and cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi, has been named to the three-person interim committee, which is tasked with overseeing state affairs until the Assembly of Experts appoints Khamenei’s successor. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that a new Supreme Leader could be chosen within “a day or two,” highlighting the urgency of avoiding a leadership vacuum.
In the meantime, Iran has continued its military operations in response to the US strikes, which Araghchi described as acts of “self-defence and retaliation.” President Pezeshkian, addressing the nation via state television, expressed condolences over Khamenei’s death and reaffirmed that Iran’s armed forces are actively “crushing enemy bases.” He stressed that the interim council has begun functioning and that the government remains committed to fulfilling its duties despite the ongoing conflict.
The strike itself has caused widespread casualties and damage across the region. In Israel, a missile attack on Beit Shemesh killed at least eight civilians and injured more than twenty others. In the UAE, Iranian drone strikes on Al-Salam Naval Base caused fires and minor injuries, while Kuwait reported one death and multiple injuries following interceptions of missiles and drones. Meanwhile, US Central Command confirmed that the USS Abraham Lincoln was not struck despite claims by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The death toll among US forces has risen, with three service members killed and five others seriously injured. As the Middle East crisis unfolds, the interim Iranian leadership faces the dual challenges of maintaining domestic stability and coordinating military responses while the process to appoint a permanent Supreme Leader proceeds.
