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'Israel is seeking to divide Iran' - Larijani announces Tehran to form temporary leadership council following Khamenei's killing

'Israel is seeking to divide Iran' - Larijani announces Tehran to form temporary leadership council following Khamenei's killing

"Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Sunday that Tehran will proceed to set up a temporary leadership council under the Constitution after the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Larijani cited Article 111, saying the president, the head of the judiciary and a senior cleric selected through Iran's political bodies, would take on leadership duties until a new leader is elected. He also warned that Iran's response to the attacks will come soon. "Americans should know that by stabbing the hearts of the Iranian nation, their hearts will be stabbed, and therefore the behaviour of our armed forces today will be much stronger than the day before," he said. "We had already said this to the countries in the region, and we had also told them that we have no intention of attacking you. But when your country's bases are used against us, and America is operating against us, we will destroy all its bases and facilities in the region. These bases are not their territory; they are American territory," he added. Iranian state media reported the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the attacks, prompting Tehran to declare 40 days of national mourning and a seven-day public holiday, with all government offices and schools closed as the country prepares for funeral rites. The United States and Israel launched a joint strike on Saturday, with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to 'destroy Iran's missiles.'  In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said that 'widespread missile and drone attacks' against Israel were underway. US bases were also reportedly targeted in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait. The developments follow three recent rounds of talks between Iranian and American officials, one held in Muscat and two in Geneva. Russia, China, France, Bahrain and Colombia have called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, where members were divided between urging an immediate halt to hostilities and pressing Iran to abandon its nuclear programme."