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Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani on Sunday warned of a "far more crushing response" against the United States and Israel following what Iranian media described as the martyrdom of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Tasnim News Agency reported that Larijani said the Iranian nation had thwarted what he described as US and Israeli plans through unity and resilience. He stated that constitutional provisions would guide the country during the absence of leadership. Referring to Article 110 of Iran's Constitution, Larijani explained that if the country is without a leader, the President, the Head of the Judiciary, and one jurist member of the Constitutional Council, selected by the Expediency Discernment Council, would temporarily assume the Leader's duties until a successor is elected. He said the process to form the provisional leadership council was being pursued immediately aand would be carried out as soon as possible. The news agency reported that Ayatollah Khamenei had been killed on Saturday attack by what officials described as "criminal" US-Israeli forces. He had led Iran since 1989, following the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini. According to Tasnim, the Iranian Armed Forces have since launched large-scale missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli-occupied areas and American bases in the region in response to the attack. Iran is observing 40 days of public mourning following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media. The country's Supreme Leader's office has declared a period of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast and public gatherings planned to pay respects, marking the closing of a 37-year chapter in the Islamic Republic's history. Authorities have heightened security across the country, particularly in major cities like Tehran, to prevent unrest and ensure public safety. Attention is focused on the process of selecting Khamenei's successor, with speculation about potential candidates and the impact on Iran's future leadership. However, meeting under wartime conditions is difficult, and the question remains, who "owns" the future of the Republic--the clerics or the Revolutionary Guard-- the most urgent cliffhanger. His death is being portrayed by state media as the Martyrdom of the Guardian, framing his end not as a defeat, but as a final sacrifice for the sovereignty of the nation. The official Farsi account of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged his death and posted a verse from the Quran on X in the early hours of Sunday. As per Tasnim News, Khamenei was killed while at the workplace in the early hours of Sunday. (ANI)
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