Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Mar 1: Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said on Sunday that the formal transition of leadership following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would begin later in the day, according to state media reports.
Speaking to state television, Larijani confirmed that an interim leadership council will be constituted shortly to steer the country until a new Supreme Leader is selected. The temporary body will include President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, and a jurist from the Guardian Council — the powerful institution tasked with ensuring legislation aligns with Sharia law and the Iranian Constitution.
Larijani, who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and previously served as an advisor to Khamenei, stated that efforts were underway to establish the council as early as Sunday. “The president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council will assume responsibility until the election of the next leader,” he said, emphasizing that the process would move forward without delay.
Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that Iran is prepared for “all scenarios,” including the political roadmap following Khamenei’s death. He warned that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “crossed red lines” and would face consequences.
Trump, however, cautioned Tehran against retaliatory action, saying the United States would respond with unprecedented force if Iran launched further attacks. In a public statement, he warned that any escalation by Iran would trigger a military response “never been seen before.”
The rising tensions come as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed severe retribution for Khamenei’s killing. In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the IRGC promised what it described as the “most ferocious offensive operation in history” against the United States and Israel. It declared that Iran’s armed forces, alongside the Basij militia, would continue defending the nation and safeguarding Khamenei’s legacy against both domestic and foreign threats.
Further escalating the situation, the IRGC announced the launch of the fifth phase of “Operation True Promise 4,” claiming to have targeted American vessels in the region, including ships in the Indian Ocean allegedly transporting ammunition and refuelling tankers.