A 40-day mourning period has been declared for Ayatollah Khameni by the Iranian authorities following the 85-year old’s death in Saturday’s strikes by the United States and Israel.
State media confirmed Ayatollah’s death hours after he had been reported killed by U.S president Donald Trump, even though Iranian-linked news agencies had reported that Khamenei remained “steadfast and firm in commanding the field”.
US President Donald Trump late on Saturday in a post on his Truth Social:
“He 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.”
Over 200 deaths have been reported in Iran as the authorities struggle to get a grip in the aftermath of the strikes.
The authorities have long planned for the possible killing of Khamenei in the event of a war with the US and Israel, and his demise injects new uncertainty into an unfolding conflict which has put the region in turmoil.
Thousands of flights into the middle east-a hub for global aviation have been cancelled, even as oil prices are expected to rise.
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Iran’s counter attacks on Saturday triggered air-defence interceptions in many Gulf countries which host U.S military airbases.
At an emergency session of the UN Security Council, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said an opportunity for diplomacy had been “squandered” adding that “military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world.”
In the meantime, the son of the former monarch of Iran, Reza Pahlavi has spoken on the killing of Ayatollah.
Writing on X, the 65 year old who fled with his family during the 1979 overthrow of his father said “With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”
A tense situation has enveloped not just the middle East, but the entire world with many nations on high alert.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
