Killed Khamenei, 39 Other Iranian Leaders In 'One Minute', Says Israel Military | Iran-US Conflict So Far In 10 Points

Curated by Afsal Rahman

New Delhi: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes in Iran, which further escalated the situation in the Middle East as Tehran pressed with a second day of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf on Sunday.

Apart from 86-year-old Khamenei, the initial strikes on Iran by the US and Israel on Saturday killed several top military leaders in the country. The attacks happened on the same day mediator Oman announced a significant breakthrough in the talks between the United States and Iran.

Here is a look at the turn of events in 10 points:

1. Israel's military said on Sunday that its initial strike on Iran the previous day killed 40 senior commanders, along with the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "The first step of this operation was the opening strike in which we eliminated 40 senior commanders, including Khamenei, in one minute in two different locations over a thousand miles from Israel in broad daylight," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists, according to AFP.
2. Thousands of Iranians flooded the streets and intersections to mourn the death of Ali Khamenei, chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans and carrying photos of the slain leader.
3. At least nine people were killed, and several others were injured after clashes broke out between police and protesters outside the US Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, following the killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader.
4. Iran's state television confirmed the death of the paramount decision-maker on Sunday morning, hours after US President Donald Trump, in a social media post, announced that Khamenei had been killed in the attacks. Close adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani, General Abdol Rahim Mousavi, Defence Minister Gen Aziz Nasirzadeh, Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Pakpour, were also confirmed dead in the Saturday attack.
5. The attack drew polarised responses from major world powers, Canada, Australia and Ukraine being among the first to come in support of the US and Israel. Russia, China, and Spain condemned the assault, terming it an unprovoked act of armed aggression.
6. Iran resumed attacks on US bases in the Gulf region, causing widespread damage and bringing air traffic to a standstill. The cargo movement through the Strait of Hormuz was severely affected following radio messages by the IRGC to the vessels not to venture.
7. Donald Trump had announced on Saturday a "massive and ongoing" combat operation against Iran, appealing to Iranians to take over the government.
8. The US military said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defence capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
9. The joint US-Israel operation, which officials say was planned for months, took place Saturday during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan and at the start of the Iranian workweek.
10. The attack was unprecedented as Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States on Thursday, claimed there had been a “significant breakthrough” following the third round of talks in Geneva.

Also read:

1. Khamenei Dead, Who Will Be The Next Supreme Leader Of Iran?
2. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: The Architect Of A Defiant Iran