Tehran: Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, stated Sunday that the transition process following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will commence later in the day, according to reports from state media.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i and a member of the Guardian Council, a significant institution responsible for ensuring the coordination of legislation in accordance with Sharia law and the Iranian Constitution, will guide the nation during its transitional phase after the death of the Supreme Leader, as reported by the state media outlet IRNA.
In addition, Larijani, who is the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former advisor to Khamenei, mentioned, “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.”
“This council will be established as soon as possible. We are working to form it as early as today,” he commented in an interview aired on state television.
Furthermore, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf indicated that the nation is ready for “all scenarios,” including the path forward after Khamenei’s death, as reported by state media.
He additionally stated that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have “crossed our red lines” and “will face the consequences”.
Trump has warned Iran against any military action, stating that he would hit the nation with a “force that has never been seen before”.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. They better not do that, however, because if they do, we will hit them with a force never been seen before! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump said in a statement.
This came as Iran’s Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) has vowed to punish the “murderers” of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the confirmation of his death by state television, and promised that the response will be the “most ferocious offensive operation in history” against the US and Israel.
In a statement posted on its official Telegram page, the IRGC said, “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.”
It further said that the IRGC, the Armed Forces, and the Basij forces will “powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland.”
The IRGC announced that it has launched the fifth wave of Operation True Promise 4, targeting American vessels across the region, including in the Indian Ocean, carrying ammunition and refuelling tankers.
