A plume of smoke rises following reported explosions in Tehran on March 1, 2026.
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
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Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images
AMMAN, Jordan – Iranians and others across the Middle East awoke Sunday to a region in turmoil following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in U.S. and Israeli air strikes.
The Iranian government, now without the country’s spiritual leader but with a military command structure still seemingly intact, continued strikes on Israel and on U.S. targets in Gulf states, Iraq and Jordan.
Israel’s military said it began a new wave of attacks in Iran. Explosions were heard in the Iranian capital Sunday morning. Israel’s military said it is striking targets belonging to “the Iranian terror regime” located “in the heart of Tehran.” The Israeli air force said it conducted large-scale strikes to establish air superiority and “pave the path to Tehran.”
Iranian state media Saturday confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, in air strikes targeting his office in Tehran. An Iran state broadcaster delivered the news in tears. Khamenei assumed the position of spiritual leader after the death in 1989 of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini – leader of Iran’s Islamic revolution.
Iran said it had established a three-person temporary leadership council to govern the country under Islamic law before a panel of Shia clerics chooses a new spiritual leader.
On Sunday mourners packed Tehran’s Enghelab Square and public spaces in other cities to mark what they consider Khamenei’s martyrdom.
In the southwestern city of Yasuj, videos posted to social media showed a large crowd chanting ‘the lion of God has been killed’. NPR could not independently verify the videos.
Iran said the attack also killed Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law. It said Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi and Major General Shahid Rezaian, a senior intelligence chief, also died in airstrikes.
There was no apparent sign of renewed protests that rocked Iran starting in December.
Iranian security forces are believed to have killed thousands of demonstrators at the time, after anger over Iran’s financial crisis turned into anti-regime protests. U.S. The United States was accused by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of orchestrating the financial crisis, sparking unrest and protests in various countries. In Tehran, residents celebrated the news of Khamenei’s death but faced violence from security forces. Hezbollah in Lebanon vowed revenge, while in Iraq, paramilitaries clashed with government security forces. Jordan experienced air raid sirens and missile interceptions, and the Gulf region saw luxury hotels and airports targeted by Iranian attacks. Threats of further retaliation on Israel and U.S. military bases were issued by Iran, leading to disruptions in oil exports and OPEC meetings. President Trump warned against further Iranian actions, promising a strong response. The situation remains tense, with global implications. sentence in your own words.
