- Israeli strikes reportedly killed 40 senior Iranian military officers
- Iranian state TV confirmed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in the airstrikes
- Video showed urban area hit by four explosions causing widespread destruction
Has Iran's top defence and civil-religious leadership been wiped out in the joint American and Israeli airstrikes? Israel's claim that the strikes killed at least 40 senior military officers including the chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, if true, would mean the entire Iranian leadership has been decapitated.
In fresh visuals released by Israel, a black and white targeting camera showed what seemed like an urban area with buildings standing close to each other. Within seconds, the entire neighbourhood got engulfed in dust after four explosions went off one after the other.
These powerful strikes killed 40 top military officers of Iran. Their Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, too, died in the strikes, Iranian state TV has confirmed.
There would likely be others who would take over the role of the Supreme Leader. For this, a three-member governing council has been announced. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and two other top officials will lead the country in a transitional period, the state television reported.
Those among the 40 who were killed in the strikes would likely have had access to Iran's nuclear programme. If so, the loss of these many military officers would paralyse the system. The question then arises - is this the end of the Iranian regime?
Some of the officers who were killed in the strikes would have included military strategists who planned Iran's response that targeted Middle Eastern countries where the US has stationed its troops.
Among them was Defence Minister Amir Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpour; advisor to the Supreme Leader, Ali Shamkhani, and the chief of the Iranian military Abdul Rahim Mousavi.
Abdul Mousavi was believed to be in the same meeting that was hammered by American and Israeli strikes.
What's Iran's Next Move
Experts say Iran would have planned for alternatives in a scenario where their top leader was eliminated. This is where a second rung of leaders would step in. While they may not have a vast experience and access to state secrets, they are likely to finetune themselves in the new roles rapidly.
Other critical questions deal with matters like whether any new Iranian leadership would try to take the country on a democratic path.
To add pressure to Iran, US President Donald Trump has been appealing to Iranians to come out on the streets and take power and control they deserve. The strikes on Iran have global ramifications, the most pronounced in the Middle East region with Shia Muslims uniting in protest against the bombings.
They have hit the streets, including in India. In Pakistan, protesters turned violent and tried to overrun the American embassy in Karachi. A US special force soldier opened fire to stop the mob.
Earlier today, Iran said its forces targeted US bases in Iraq's Kurdistan region and in the Gulf. Drones also struck the Omani port of Duqm, injuring one worker, the Oman News Agency said, while an oil tanker was also targeted, resulting in some injuries.
Air raid sirens sounded and explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Sunday after the Israeli military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran towards Israel.
A top Emirati official warned Iran on Sunday that "your war is not with your neighbours" and that retaliation against Gulf states was a "miscalculation".
Nuclear Agency Meeting
The United Nations' nuclear agency will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday, following the strikes on the Islamic republic, aimed in part at Tehran's atomic programme. In a statement late on Saturday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the meeting was at the request of Russia, a key ally of Tehran.
