Overview
- Iranian authorities and President Donald Trump confirmed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, prompting Iranian retaliation with missiles and drones across the Gulf and at U.S. interests.
- Multiple outlets, citing Iran International, report the Assembly of Experts chose Mojtaba Khamenei under pressure from the IRGC, though the appointment remains unverified by official state channels.
- A temporary three-person council—President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam‑Hossein Mohseni‑Eje’i, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi—is carrying out the supreme leader’s duties pending a confirmed successor.
- Reactions are sharply split, with public mourning by groups such as a UCL Islamic society and a Dearborn mosque, contrasted by celebrations and calls for change among diaspora figures including actor Elnaaz Norouzi.
- Canada’s defence minister defended Ottawa’s support for the strikes and called Khamenei “a force for evil,” as legal scholars and some politicians questioned the operation’s compliance with international law.