Reports suggest that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed. The second eldest son was considered a potential successor to the leadership role.
Iranian media has reported that the 56-year-old has been ‘eliminated’, according to GB News.
Mojtaba Khamenei was widely regarded as the most influential among the Ayatollah’s sons. His demise could pave the way for a successor more inclined to deviate from the policies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian officials have announced that an interim committee will govern the country whilst a successor is determined. President Trump has stated that 48 leaders in Iran have been killed over the past 24 hours.
The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has now been confirmed by Iranian officials, following his killing in a joint US-Israeli bombardment. The operation, dubbed “Epic Fury” by the Pentagon and “Roaring Lion” by Israel, involved over 200 aircraft and hundreds of cruise missiles hitting 500 targets across the country, including the Supreme Leader’s compound in Tehran.
Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early on Sunday. US President Donald Trump had declared his death hours earlier.
He suggested it offered Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law and grandchild were also tragically killed, with reports suggesting one of the leader’s daughters-in-law died as well.
Iran will observe 40 days of mourning for Khamenei, who was 86 and had presided over the nation since 1989 when he took over from the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The assassination of Khamenei after decades in power has left a significant leadership void, given the lack of an apparent successor. The supreme leader had the ultimate authority on all major policies.
A council has been established to govern Iran following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader. This council is legally recognised in the Islamic Republic.
It consists of Iran’s incumbent president, the head of the country’s judiciary and a member of the Guardian Council selected by Iran’s Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and resolves disputes with parliament.
Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei are members. Iranian law stipulates that the Assembly of Experts “must, as soon as possible” appoint a new supreme leader.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened on Sunday to initiate its “most intense offensive operation” ever, aiming at Israel and US bases in the region.