US-Israel Attack On Iran: Trump Asks Iranian Forces To Surrender Or Face 'Certain Death'

Protesters in Iraq marched Sunday to mourn the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, prompting clashes with security forces in Baghdad, reports AP. Iraqi forces fired tear gas and sound grenades at dozens of demonstrators attempting to enter the heavily fortified Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy, one of Washington’s largest diplomatic missions worldwide, is located. Iraq’s top military coordination body said a number of its security personnel came under gunfire from some demonstrators on the Suspension Bridge in central Baghdad but that they did not shoot back.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday urged Iranians to rise up to topple the Islamic republic a day after a joint US-Israeli attack killed the supreme leader, reports AFP. "I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment to be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country. America is with you," Trump said in a video address. Trump further said that the United States is carrying out one of the 'largest' military offensives in modern history. Taking to Truth Social, Trump termed “Operation Epic Fury” as an overwhelming joint effort with Israel. He added that hundreds of targets had been struck across Iran in the past 36 hours.

President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as the US and Israel continued their strikes across Iran, the White House said. Iran has also targeted the US facilities in Bahrain, the UAE and other neighbouring Gulf nations in its retaliatory action. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also said that Trump was briefed on a shooting incident in Austin, Texas. At least two people were killed and 14 others wounded in a mass shooting at a popular bar in Austin, authorities said Sunday, CBS News reported. The gunman was also killed. Sharing a post on X, White House Press Secretary wrote, "Today, President Trump has spoken with the leaders of Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE. The President has also been briefed on the shooting in Austin, Texas."

The streets of West Jerusalem were quiet Sunday after a line of missiles traveled slowly by, particularly visible against the dark night sky in the latest barrage fired at Israel by Iran, reports AP. Some Israelis disappeared into their bomb shelters. Others stayed outside to watch as missiles disappeared beyond the horizon. One scattered into pieces before falling from view. Residents heard isolated booms. About a minute later came a low rumbling and vibrations felt through windows and walls. That sensation has become a grim relief for many Israelis – it means Israeli air defense intercepted the missiles. About five minutes after the missiles passed, people began to slowly climb out of their shelters, many hoping for a calmer night than last. Rescue crews said they were treating several injured people in Jerusalem after Sunday’s blasts.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran's security forces to surrender or be killed, after the US military said it destroyed the headquarters of the elite Revolutionary Guards, reports AFP. "I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military and police to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. It won't be pretty," Trump said in a video address.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday he envisages a four-week military operation against Iran, where American and Israeli strikes have killed the country's supreme leader and crippled its defense capabilities, AFP reports. "It's always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so," he told British newspaper the Daily Mail, the latest of several interviews with media outlets Sunday. "As strong as it is, it's a big country, it'll take four weeks -- or less," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that American soldiers dying during strikes on Iran was to be expected in a war that was nevertheless a "great deal", AFP reports. "We have three, but we expect casualties, but in the end it's going to be a great deal for the world," Trump told NBC after the Pentagon announced three US service members had been killed during military strikes on Iran.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on his X handle that he had a telephonic conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reiterating the need for a de-escalation and cessation of hostilities to end the war. Modi said he discussed the current regional situation. "Had a telephone call with PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the current regional situation. Conveyed India's concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority. India reiterates the need for an early cessation of hostilities," PM Modi wrote on X.

AFP reported, citing Iranian news agency ISNA, that Gandhi hospital in northern Tehran was targeted on Sunday by strikes, on the second day of a US-Israeli air campaign against Iran. "Tehran's Gandhi hospital was attacked by Zionist-American air strikes," ISNA reported, while the Fars and Mizan agencies published a video, presented as being from inside the facility, showing debris on the floor among wheelchairs.

The United Arab Emirates has closed its embassy in Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission after strikes from the Islamic Republic hit the country, reports AP. The announcement from the Gulf country’s Foreign Ministry comes as Iranian retaliatory attacks targeting U.S. bases in the Mideast have hit the Dubai airport and other civilian buildings, forced the closure of its airspace, and disrupted daily life. Iran maintains that it intends to only strike U.S. military facilities in retaliation for attacks on the country alongside Israel. “The Foreign Ministry as confirmed that this decision reflects its firm and unwavering position against any aggression that threatens its security and sovereignty,” the statement said, calling the attacks an “aggressive and provocative approach” that threatens regional security.

Expressing his condemnation over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote Sunday on X that his administration extended its “deepest condolences” to Iran’s people and its government for what he called the assassination of Khamenei. “This heinous act constitutes an unscrupulous violation of all norms of international law and human dignity,” he wrote. “In Cuba, he will be remembered as an outstanding statesman and leader of his people who contributed to the development of friendly relations between Cuba and Iran.”

The Israeli military said it had dealt a "severe blow" to Iran's command and control centres on Sunday after a fresh wave of strikes on military targets in the Islamic republic, reports AFP. The US military also announced it had destroyed the headquarters of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard force on the second day of war to overturn the Iranian government. According to AFP, the military "struck dozens of the regime's military command centres, including headquarters belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), intelligence headquarters, IRGC Air Force command centres, and internal security headquarters," the military said in a statement. "The completed wave of strikes has dealt a severe blow to the terrorist regime's command-and-control capabilities, eliminating personnel within its most critical headquarters," the statement added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condemned Iran's attack on UAE as he spoke to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He criticised the attacks on the country amid Iranian retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes. “Spoke with President of the UAE, my brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Strongly condemned the attacks on the UAE and condoled the loss of lives in these attacks." Modi also thanked the UAE president for taking care of the Indian community living in the Gulf nation, and said New Delhi supports de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability. "Thanked him for taking care of the Indian community living in the UAE. We support de-escalation, regional peace, security and stability," Modi wrote on X. Read more...

US forces struck and sank an Iranian warship in the offensive against the Islamic republic, the US military said Sunday, calling on members of Iran's armed forces to "lay down your weapons." "An Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was struck by US forces during the start of Operation Epic Fury. The ship is currently sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman at a Chah Bahar pier," US Central Command posted on X.

A top Iranian official on Sunday rejected President Donald Trump's warning not to retaliate against massive US-Israel bombardments, saying there would be "no limit" to the country's self-defence, reports AFP. "Nobody can tell us that you don't have any right to defend yourselves. We are defending ourselves whatever it takes, and we see no limit for ourselves to defend our people, to protect our people," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told ABC News. "What the United States is doing is an act of aggression. What we are doing is the act of self-defense. There are huge differences between these two," he said.

Iran's 'potential new leadership' hinted that they're open to US talks and Trump is 'eventually' willing, AP source says. The news agency quoted a senior White House official, who said that “new potential leadership” in Iran has suggested they are open to talks with the United States after U.S. and Israeli forces launched a major attack on Iran, killing its supreme leader and other high-ranking officials. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said President Donald Trump says he is 'eventually' willing to talk, but for now, the military operation “continues unabated.” The official did not say who the potential new Iranian leaders are or how they made their alleged willingness to talk known.

CIA tracked Iranian leaders' movements for months, and timing of strikes adjusted partly over that intel, reports Associated Press, citing a source. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said a temporary leadership council has begun governing until a new supreme leader is chosen. Since 1989, Khamenei was final authority over Iran’s military, nuclear and foreign policy decisions. His death creates a vacuum that analysts warn could deepen regional instability.

In a video message, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We have eliminated the tyrant Khamenei and dozens of senior figures of the oppressive regime. Our forces are now striking at the heart of Tehran with increasing intensity, set to escalate further in the coming days."

At least seven people were killed at pro-Iran protests in the northern Pakistani city of Gilgit on Sunday, an official told AFP.

"At least seven people were killed in today's clashes in Gilgit," Zaheer Shah, a rescue official told AFP in a phone call, adding many more were injured.

New explosions were heard Sunday evening in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdistan region which hosts US bases.

Loud bangs shook the city, which is home to a US consulate and American troops, an AFP journalist said.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that 48 Iranian leaders have been killed in the ongoing US-Israeli bombardments of the country.

"Nobody can believe the success we're having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it's moving along rapidly," Trump was quoted as saying by Fox News.

The Israeli military on Sunday said it was calling up almost 100,000 reservists as part of its ongoing campaign of strikes against arch-foe Iran.

"The IDF is preparing to call up around 100,000 reservists and is raising its level of readiness on the various fronts as part of Operation 'Roaring Lion'," the military said in a statement, using the name Israel has given to its campaign against Iran which was launched in coordination with the United States on Saturday.

In a post on X, Ministry Of Defence Of The UAE stated that the UAE air force and air defence forces have so far dealt with 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 541 Iranian drones since the start of the Iranian attack. "The ministry said that on the morning of the second day of the attack, UAE air force and air defence forces destroyed 20 ballistic missiles, while eight missiles fell into the sea. They also destroyed two cruise missiles and 311 drones. However, 21 drones struck civilian targets. The ministry affirmed the capability of the UAE air force and air defence to address various threats.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his condolences on Sunday to the families of those killed in Iranian strikes, saying his country was living through "painful days."

First responders said an Iranian missile attack on Sunday killed at least nine people in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, in the deadliest strike in the country since the war began.

"These are painful days. Yesterday here in Tel Aviv, and now in Beit Shemesh, we lost dear people. My heart goes out to the families, and on behalf of all of you, the citizens of Israel, I send my wishes for a full recovery to the injured," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

US Central Command stated that three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury. In a post on X, it said, "three U.S. service members have been killed in action and five are seriously wounded as part of Operation Epic Fury. Several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions — and are in the process of being returned to duty. Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing.

The situation is fluid, so out of respect for the families, we will withhold additional information, including the identities of our fallen warriors, until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.

In a message on X, Pope Leo XIV said, "I am following with deep concern what is happening in the Middle East and in Iran during this tumultuous time. Stability and peace are not achieved through mutual threats, nor through the use of weapons, which sow destruction, suffering, and death, but only through reasonable, sincere, and responsible dialogue.

The Pentagon on Sunday denied Iran's claim to have struck the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles in the Gulf.

"The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close," US Central Command said on X.

The number of fatalities following an Iranian ballistic missile strike on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh has increased to eight, according to reports from Al Jazeera and Israeli emergency services. The missile struck a residential area, leaving at least 27 people injured. Medical officials confirmed that two of the wounded remain in serious condition.

Emergency operations are currently underway at the scene of the explosion. Al Jazeera noted that the Times of Israel newspaper also confirmed the missile hit a populated area within the city limits.

The Israeli military, in a statement on Telegram, said that search and rescue units, along with medical personnel and a helicopter designated for casualty evacuation, are actively operating at the impact site. The strike in Beit Shemesh comes as part of a broader escalation in the region. Expanding the scope of hostilities, Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was also targeted by missile strikes launched by Iran, according to a report by the Iranian state broadcaster, Press TV.

These developments follow heightened tensions in West Asia after joint missile strikes titled Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury were carried out by Israel and the United States on Iran. Explosions were reported in Tehran and other major cities, with US President Donald Trump and Iranian state media claiming that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes, along with his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law. (ANI)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday that they had attacked the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf after US and Israeli strikes killed the country's supreme leader.

"The US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was struck by four ballistic missiles," the Guards said in a statement carried by local media, warning that the "the land and sea will increasingly become the graveyard of the terrorist aggressors".

Key members of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced a greater-than-expected increase to production quotas on Sunday following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered retaliation by Tehran across the Middle East.

The eight-strong V8 (Voluntary Eight) group in the alliance, which includes top oil producers Saudi Arabia and Russia -- as well as several Gulf states bearing the brunt of Tehran's missile strikes -- said they had agreed a "production adjustment" of 206,000 barrels per day (bpd). "This adjustment will be implemented in April," they said in a statement.

The text did not mention the outbreak of the Iran conflict, instead citing "a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals" as their reasons for the increase. Before the weekend's meeting, experts had forecast a more modest increase of 137,000 bpd.

But Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad Energy, warned the agreed increase was potentially not large enough to prevent the Iran conflict causing a spike in oil prices when trading opens on Monday. Leon pointed to the possibility that Iran could target the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil supplies, in retaliation.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have contacted ships to announce the strait was closed. On Sunday, Iranian state TV said an oil tanker in the strait was struck while attempting to "illegally" pass through and was sinking, showing footage of a burning tanker at sea.

"If oil cannot move through Hormuz, an extra 206,000 barrels per day does very little to ease the market," Leon said, arguing that "logistics and transit risk matter more than production targets right now". The OPEC+ move "is unlikely to calm markets", he said. "Prices will respond to developments in the Gulf and the status of shipping flows, not to a relatively small increase in output."

The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US–Israeli strike Saturday has pushed West Asia into its most volatile phase in decades, with fears of a wider regional war growing by the day. Those anxieties intensified after Oman reported Sunday that one of its oil tankers had been attacked near the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, the narrow artery through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

For India, which depends heavily on crude imports routed through these waters, the crisis has brought renewed focus on its Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs). India is one of the world’s largest crude oil importers, meeting around 80-90 per cent of its consumption through imports. A significant share of these shipments of monthly crude flows transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

The reported attack on an Omani oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz has sharpened fears that the world’s most vital energy corridor could become a battleground. For India, whose energy lifeline runs through these contested waters, the turmoil has elevated the significance of its SPRs from a long-term precaution to an immediate economic safeguard.

Read full story here: Explained | After Khamenei’s Death And Hormuz Tensions, Why India’s Oil Safety Net Comes Into Sharp Focus

Iranian state television said Sunday that an oil tanker was sinking after it was struck while attempting to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The incident took place as Iran exchanged strikes with the United States and Israel, who launched an attack Saturday that killed the Islamic republic's supreme leader.

"The fate of the offending oil tanker that was struck while attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz is that it is now sinking," state TV reported, without elaborating.

It carried footage showing heavy black smoke emanating from the burning tanker at sea.

The strait carries a quarter of the world's seaborne oil and a fifth of all liquified natural gas.

On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards had warned that the vital waterway was unsafe due to US and Israeli attacks and was therefore closed to ships. (AFP inputs)

The US-Israel axis started an unprovoked war and aggression against Iran. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Defence Minister, Army Chief have been killed, as have been scores of civilians, including over 150 schoolgirls. The US - Israel combined operation using high-precision weapons costing millions of dollars and kamikaze drones continues to target the Iranian leadership with the objective of regime change. Iran has retaliated by bombing US bases and Israel in the fragile oil-rich Gulf region. This war of attrition escalates, lives are lost, and destruction and wanton devastation underscore strategic objectives of the empire and its desire for global hegemony. Globally, countries are appealing for cease fire and de-escalation.

Read full story here: US-Israel Aggression On Iran: Loop Of War And Resistance Will Continue

"We will strike thousands of targets of the terrorist regime in the coming days," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday as he released an AI video of himself on X following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the retaliation to it, pushing the entire Middle East into disarray.

Addressing the Iranian public directly in Persian, Netanyahu, in the AI video, says Israel would "create the conditions for the brave people of Iran to free themselves from the chains of tyranny".

He asked citizens of Iran to "not let this opportunity slip away".

"This is an opportunity that comes only once in every generation. Do not sit idle, because your moment will arrive soon. The moment when you must take to the streets, come to the streets in your millions to finish the job, to overthrow the regime of terror that has embittered your lives," Netanyahu said.

Addressing ethnic communities like Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Ahwazis and Baluchis, Netanyahu said the time had come to “unite your forces to overthrow the regime and secure your future.”

China on Sunday said it "strongly condemns" the US and Israel's killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling again for a halt to military actions.

Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement that the killing was "a serious violation of Iran's sovereignty and security, a trampling on the aims and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations".

"China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this," it added, calling for an "immediate halting of military operations". The condemnation came just after Chinese state media reported a phone call between Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

During the conversation, which state news agency Xinhua said was initiated by Lavrov, Wang said that the "blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change" by the United States and Israel was "unacceptable".

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday slammed the United States and Israel's killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "cynical violation" of morality and law, AFP reported.

On Sunday, the Kremlin published a letter that Putin sent to Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in which the Russian leader expressed his "deepest condolences for the assassination of" Khamenei. He said the killing was "carried out in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law".

Putin said Khamenei "will be remembered as an outstanding statesman who made an enormous personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Iranian relations". He asked Pezeshkian to "convey my most sincere sympathy and support to the relatives and loved ones of the Supreme Leader, to the government and to the entire people of Iran".

Senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi will serve as the country's interim Supreme Leader following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Tehran, the state-linked ISNA news agency reported.

Arafi has been named to the Iranian interim leadership council, which will be at the helm of the country following the killing of the supreme leader. "The Expediency Discernment Council has elected Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as a member of the interim leadership council," said expediency council spokesman Mohsen Dehnavi in a post on X.

The interim council, which will also include the president and the head of the judiciary, will lead the country until the Assembly of Experts "elects a permanent leader as soon as possible".

The death toll in clashes between Pakistani police and protesters who stormed the US Consulate compound in Karachi on Sunday has risen to nine, Associated Press reports. The Shiite protesters were enraged by the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes. Police said the protest on Sunday was later dispersed, the report said.

An oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz has come under attack, wounding four mariners on board, Associated Press reported on Sunday, quoting the state-run Oman News Agency. The attack targeted a Palau-flagged vessel called Skylight, it said.

It described the crew as Indian and Iranian. It wasn’t clear who attacked the vessel, but it came as authorities have said Iran has been threatening ships travelling the strait via radio since the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran.

Oman, which had served as an interlocutor between Tehran and Washington in recent nuclear talks, also said its port at Duqm was targeted in a drone attack. Oman has previously stayed out of the fray in years of tensions gripping the region.

A massive explosion struck Tehranon Sunday as the Israeli military said it was targeting the "heart" of the city. The blast sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky and shook the ground, Associated Press reported, though it wasn’t immediately clear what the target was. The blast appeared centred in a neighbourhood home to the country’s police headquarters and Iranian state television, it said.

The Israeli military said on the first day of the war, the military cleared the "path to Tehran", and on the second day, it was striking central Tehran.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the top Shiite Muslim cleric in Iraq, on Sunday mourned Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and urged Iranians to remain united, AFP reported.

Sistani, himself born in Iran, said in a statement: "With deep sorrow, I extend my condolences to the noble Iranian people and all Muslims on the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose unique role in leading the Islamic Republic of Iran for many years is evident to all."

"The great Iranian people are expected to maintain their unity, to stand firm and thwart the aggressors' sinister goals," he added.

At least 8 people were killed in a pro-Iran protest as demonstrators clashed with police on Sunday after hundreds of Shiite Muslims stormed the US Consulate in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, AFP reported, quoting rescue services.

"We have moved at least eight dead bodies to Karachi's civil hospitals, while 20 others were injured in the consulate incident," Muhammad Amin, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, was quoted as saying. He added that most had bullet wounds.

The violence came after the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Protest rallies are happening in several countries with thousands of Shia Muslims on the roads mourning the death of Iran's Supreme Leader.

Iranian state television reported on Sunday that the country's chief of army staff and defense minister were among those killed in a US-Israeli airstrike targeting a meeting of the country’s defense council.

General Abdol Rahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Gen Aziz Nasirzadeh were killed at the meeting alongside the Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Pakpour and the secretary of Iran’s Defence Council and close adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, whose deaths Iran previously announced on Sunday morning. It added that other names will be announced later.

Thousands of people are out on the roads in several cities across Iran to mourn the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran a day earlier. Photos by Associated Press show mourners, most of them clad in black, gathering on key Tehran intersections, chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans while carrying photos of the slain leader.

The death toll from Saturday’s US and Israeli strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran’s Minab county has risen to 148 killed, with 95 wounded, Ebrahim Taheri, a Minab prosecutor, told the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, Associated Press reported on Sunday.

On Saturday evening, the Iranian Red Crescent had said that at least 201 people had been killed and 747 injured in the US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran.

The transition process following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will begin Sunday, Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said in an interview broadcast by state TV, AFP reported.

"An interim leadership council will soon be formed. The president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council will assume responsibility until the election of the next leader," said Larijani, the head of Iran's top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, who was an adviser to Khamenei. "This council will be established as soon as possible. We are working to form it as early as today," he said.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States would hit Iran with "force that has never been seen before" if the country retaliated against US and Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In his Truth Social post on Sunday morning (India time), Trump said that Iran has stated "they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before".

In his signature capital letter style, the message that followed read: "THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!"

The US and Israel -- which followed a massive military buildup in the Middle East unseen since the 2003 invasion of Iraq -- killed Khamenei, Iranian state television confirmed Sunday. Iran has since retaliated, with reported Iranian strikes across the Gulf, including in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and near regional US military bases.

The leaders of the United States and Israel are "filthy criminals" who will face "devastating blows" for their ongoing attacks on the Islamic Republic, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Sunday 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."

Thousands of mourners gathered on Sunday in the centre of Iran's capital after the death of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, AFP reported. The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted "death to America" and "death to Israel" in Enghelab (Revolution) Square, with many waving Iran's flags and holding photos of Khamenei.

Similar scenes were witnessed near Tehran University, where thousands converged to protest against US-Israel strikes and to mourn the killing of the supreme leader.

Iran's state TV said on Sunday that the country has launched a new wave of strikes against Israel and US bases in several Middle Eastern countries. Around the same time, several loud explosions were heard across Doha in Qatar, Manama in Bahrain, and Dubai in the UAE.

This comes a day after Iran launched massive retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US bases in these and other Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. All of these host American forces. Iran's response follows an unprecedented joint attack by the US and Israel on the country on Saturday morning, which killed its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with some top defence and political leaders. At least 200 civilians, including over 100 girl students, have also been killed, according to Iranian media.

With Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in US and Israeli strikes, all eyes are now on the succession process. A temporary leadership council has assumed duties. The council comprises Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei.

Under Iranian law, though the leadership council will govern in the interim, an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts "must, as soon as possible" pick a new supreme leader.

The panel consists of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected every eight years and whose candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog.

Explosions were heard on Sunday near Erbil airport in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, which hosts US-led coalition troops. AFP reported thick black smoke rising from the airport area. The fresh explosions come a day after US-led coalition forces downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil.

Not just Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US-Israeli strikes on Iran also killed the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser to the late Supreme Leader, state media reported on Sunday.

The state-run IRNA news agency, according to Associated Press, announced the death of Major General 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.

Protests broke out in several parts of Kashmir on Sunday against the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israel strike. Hundreds of protestors took to the streets at various places in areas with a large Shia population, PTI reported, quoting officials. The valley has a significant Shia population.

The protestors marched through the streets peacefully and were shouting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans. A demonstration was also held at Lal Chowk, Srinagar city centre. Protests were also held in the nearby Saida Kadal area against the killing of Khamenei.

A council has been formed to govern Iran following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in strikes by the US and Israel.

The council, according to Associated Press, 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 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.

After a US-Israeli attack killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Cabinet warned early Sunday that this "great crime will never go unanswered".

The statement, according to Associated Press, came after Iranian state media reported Khamenei, 86, had been killed in an airstrike targeting his compound in downtown Tehran. On Iranian state television, an anchor broke in to read the announcement of Khamenei’s death.

“To the noble and proud people of Iran: With the ultimate grief and sorrow this is to inform you that following the barbaric attack by the criminal governments of America and the evil Zionist regime, the true example of faith, jihad and resistance, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution Grand Ayatollah Khamenei achieved the blessing of martyrdom,” the anchor said.

The Iranian Red Crescent said on Saturday evening that at least 201 people had been killed and 747 injured in the US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran. Those killed, it said, include 108 students of a school in the southern city of Minab that was hit in a strike.

"The number of student martyrs at Minab School has reached 108, and relief and debris removal operations are still ongoing," a spokesperson for the organisation said.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said "this barbaric act is another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors". Israel and the US launched a wave of strikes against their longtime foe on Saturday morning, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, several of his family members and other leaders of the Iranian government.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that a massive US-Israeli attack on Iran, which killed the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, showed that those who harm Americans must pay a price.

"If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world -- as Iran has -- then we will hunt you down, and we will kill you," Hegseth wrote on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed on Sunday to punish the "murderers" of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after his death was confirmed by state television. "The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them," the Guards said in a statement, according to AFP.

Iran has announced 40 days of mourning and seven public holidays over the death of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US, Israel attacks on Saturday. "With the martyrdom of the supreme leader, his path and mission neither will be lost nor will be forgotten, on the other hand, they will be pursued with greater vigour and zeal," a presenter said.

US President Donald Trump, in his social media post, said the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would not bring an end to the joint airstrikes by the US and Israel.

“The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!” Trump said.

The president stresses that his hope was for the Iranian government to join with the opposition.

Earlier, Trump confirmed Khamenei's death, saying his passing is “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.” The death occurred after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.

Trump, in his post, called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history.”

Trump said that Khamenei “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”

Iran's state TV has confirmed the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports AFP. Early Sunday, Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency reported the 86-year-old's death, without elaborating on a cause. US President Donald Trump said hours earlier that Khamenei was killed in a joint American-Israeli operation targeting Iran.

Fars news agency and other Iranian media reported on Sunday that the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in US and Israeli strikes.

"After establishing contact with informed sources in the Supreme Leader's household, the news of the martyrdom of the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the Revolutionary Leader has unfortunately been confirmed," said a report by the Iranian media.

Hours after Donald Trump claimed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the US-Israel attack, loud blasts were reported from Tehran early on Sunday. The sounds of at least three explosions rang out in the Iranian capital around 4:00 am (6 am Indian time), AFP reported.

The Arab League said the Israeli-US airstrikes on Iran are “a moment when the Arab-Israeli conflict has expanded into a full-scale regional war.”

Maged Abdelaziz, the 22-nation league’s U.N. observer, accused Israel of using the Iran war to evade ending its occupation of Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state – and to impose its “hegemony on the Middle East by using military means.”

Despite the announcement of some progress in U.S.-Iranian talks in Geneva two days ago, he told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council Saturday that Israel launched “a wanton military attack” claiming it “was intended to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

“At the same time, Israel itself refuses to join the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty,” he said, and it refuses to subject its nuclear facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s nuclear safeguards regime.