Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability.
Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old's death early Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump had announced his death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
The announcements came after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue through the week or as long as necessary.
The strikes opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran, marking the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the country during talks over its nuclear program. The killing of Khamenei after decades in power appeared certain to create a significant leadership vacuum given the absence of a known successor and because the supreme leader had final say on all major policies.
On Sunday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its “most-intense offensive operation” ever targeting Israel and U.S. bases.
Here is the latest:
Airport closures in Middle East strand thousands of travelers
Some airports across the Middle East remained closed on Sunday as the conflict between Israel, the U.S., and Iran moved into its second day.
Emirates Airlines has suspended all flights to and from Dubai until at least Sunday afternoon.
The Qatar airport is closed until at least Monday morning, according to Qatar Airways.
Israeli airspace also remains closed.
The closures have stranded tens of thousands of travelers around the world.
U.S. Central Command says forces taking part in military operations
The commander of the U.S. Central Command says his forces are taking part in military operations in the region during the first 24 hours of “Operation Epic Fury.”
“The President ordered bold action, and our brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen are answering the call,” a statement quoted the head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, as saying.
Iran’s chief of army staff and defense mi
nister killed in airstrike, state TV says
Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister were killed in an airstrike targeting a meeting of the country’s defense council, Iranian state television reported Sunday.
Gen. Abdol Rahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh were killed at the meeting alongside the head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and security adviser Ali Shamkhani, whose deaths Iran previously announced Sunday morning.
Iran did not elaborate on when the strike took place that killed the four men. The American-Israeli campaign began with intense airstrikes on Tehran on Saturday.
Tourists stranded in Bali
Airport authorities in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali said more than 1,600 tourists were stranded at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Sunday after several flights to the Middle East were canceled or postponed due to airspace closures in a number of countries.
Five flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha operated by Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways were affected, involving 1,631 passengers, according to state‑owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia.
The airport said overall operations remained normal and passengers were being handled under airline policies while authorities coordinated with airlines and air navigation officials.
Egypt’s top diplomat calls for de-escalation
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for “de-escalation and prioritizing diplomacy” to avert “comprehensive chaos” in the region.
“There is no alternative to dialogue to address the current crises,” he said.
Abdelatty’s comment came in a phone call with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, the Egyptian foreign ministry said.
Americans in Jordan told to stay indoors
The U.S. Embassy in Jordan urged Americans in the Kingdom to remain indoors as Iran continued its attacks across the Gulf Arab states and Israel.
The embassy made the warning Sunday morning in a post on X, citing reports of “missiles, drones, or rockets are in Jordanian airspace.”
Iraqi protesters take to the streets to denounce Khamenei’s killing
Protesters have taken to the streets in the Iraqi capital early Sunday to denounce the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Associated Press journalists saw dozens of people attempting to cross a bridge leading to Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and the sprawling U.S. Embassy.
Gunshots were heard and smoke was seen rising in the area, according to AP footage.
Qatar says 8 people wounded in Iranian attacks early Sunday
Qatar’s Interior Ministry said eight people were wounded early Sunday in Iranian attacks on the country, raising the total number of those wounded since strikes began the day before to 16.
The ministry said attacks also caused “limited” material damages.
It urged people in Qatar to stay home and only go out in case of emergency and keep roads open for ambulances.
Iranian prosecutor says death toll at girls’ school has risen to 148
Ebrahim Taheri, a Minab prosecutor, told the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan News Agency that the death toll from Saturday’s U.S and Israeli strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran’s Minab county has risen to 148 killed and 95 wounded.
Trump warns Iran not to escalate attacks
Trump warned Iran on Sunday not to escalate its attacks, writing online that American forces will strike back ’WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
Trump’s comments on Truth Social follow Iranian threats on Sunday morning after acknowledging the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,” Trump wrote.
“THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!”
Iranian parliamentary speaker says US and Israel to face ‘devastating blows’
Iran’s parliament speaker on Sunday called the leaders of the United States and Israel “filthy criminals” who will face “devastating blows” for their ongoing attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comment in a televised address.
Qalibaf is the highest-ranking official to appear on camera since the attacks began Saturday.
“You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” he said. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.”
Argentina's president lauds joint operation leading to Iranian leader's death
President Javier Milei praised the joint operation carried out by the United States and Israel that resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom he described as “one of the most evil, violent, and cruel individuals in modern history.”
In his statement, Milei also recalled the 1994 attack on the Argentine Jewish community center, known as AMIA, in Buenos Aires. The bombing killed 85 people and injured hundreds, marking one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history.
The president reaffirmed that pursuing justice for the victims of the AMIA bombing remains a state policy. “We will continue until the last person responsible pays with his freedom or his life for this horrific crime,” Milei said.
China organizing evacuations from Iran
A Chinese organization is registering Chinese citizens in Iran for evacuation to neighboring countries, according to a media report.
More than 200 Chinese are scattered across Iran, Tan Kai, the president of the Iran Federation of Chinese Organizations, told the Global Times newspaper. The group is making evacuation preparations at the instruction of the Chinese Embassy, Tan said.
An embassy statement said the land borders with Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey were open for individuals wishing to depart on their own.
In Israel, the Chinese embassy advised citizens to move to safe areas away from the centers of Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem and airports, power stations and similar sites. It said it would begin registering citizens on Sunday who wish to evacuate to Egypt and cannot do so on their own.
Head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and top security adviser killed
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed in American-Israel airstrikes on the country, state media reported Sunday.
The state-run IRNA news agency announced the death of Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, who took over as the Guard’s top commander after Israel killed its past commander in the 12-day June war.
Also killed was Ali Shamkhani, long a figurehead within Iran’s security establishment, IRNA said. Shamkhani was wounded in the June war.
Council formed to govern Iran after Khamenei's killing
A council has formed to govern Iran after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
That council is enshrined in law in the Islamic Republic. It is made up of Iran’s sitting president, the head of the country’s judiciary and a member of the Guardian Council chosen by Iran’s Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and settles disputes with parliament.
Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei are on it.
Iranian law says the Assembly of Experts “must, as soon as possible,” pick a new supreme leader.
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