Alireza Arafi named to interim council as US and Israeli strikes pound Tehran
Ayatollah alireza arafi was announced as the third member of a three-person governing council as massive U. S. and Israeli strikes continued to hit Tehran and other cities, and regional tensions left three U. S. service members dead and five seriously wounded.
Strikes rock Tehran and multiple neighbourhoods
Huge air strikes by the United States and Israel struck Tehran and other cities, leaving the capital rocked numerous times on Sunday after a series of attacks hit multiple neighbourhoods; the Israeli army said military centres were among the targets. Internet connectivity in Iran remained almost entirely blocked for a second day.
Alireza Arafi joins Pezeshkian and Mohseni-Ejei on interim council
With Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top commanders killed in Tehran at the start of the war on Saturday, Iran’s remaining top authorities moved to a three-member council to govern until a replacement is chosen. The interim council includes judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi; the Expediency Council was tasked with selecting the jurisprudence expert for the new council.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said the new leadership council "has begun its work" after Khamenei's death, and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the process to select the next supreme leader should be complete within days. By laws enacted after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a clerical body called the Assembly of Experts is tasked with selecting the next supreme leader.
Senior commanders killed and IRGC vows revenge
The deaths on Saturday included Mohammad Pakpour, who had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps less than a year ago after his predecessor was assassinated during the 12-day war with Israel. Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces; Defence Council chief Ali Shamkhani; and police intelligence chief Gholam-Reza Rezaeian were also among those killed.
The IRGC vowed revenge and said it had launched "the heaviest offensive operations in the history of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic against occupied lands [a reference to Israel] and the bases of American terrorists. " Army chief Amir Hatami pledged to continue defending the country and the army claimed its fighter jets completed bombing runs of U. S. bases across the region without offering footage.
U. S. casualties and embassy precautions
The U. S. military said three U. S. service members have been killed in action and five others have been seriously wounded. The U. S. Embassy in Kuwait authorized nonemergency government personnel to depart, citing "safety risks" and an elevation of its official travel warning to its penultimate level; the embassy lifted its advisory for Kuwait to Level 3, one level below "do not travel, " and warned Americans to "Reconsider travel to Kuwait due to the threat of armed conflict. " The advisory warned of "an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights, " singling out the area near the country's airport. The U. S. Embassy in Bahrain issued a similar authorization yesterday amid a Level 3 travel advisory.
CENTCOM posts videos, lists locations hit
U. S. Central Command shared several videos showing missiles and other military hardware in action as U. S. forces continued strikes on Iran; some videos were labeled "unclassified" and showed missiles launched from vehicles and ships and apparent targets being struck. CENTCOM said, "The Iranian regime’s reckless use and proliferation of ballistic missiles have been a dangerous threat for decades. Now, at the President’s direction, U. S. forces are eliminating the threat, " and included footage of what appeared to be a car receiving a direct strike.
CENTCOM accused Iran of targeting civilian sites across the Middle East and disputed a claim by Iran's ambassador to the United Nations that Tehran's response had been directed "solely and exclusively" at U. S. bases and assets, calling that assertion a "lie. " "The Iranian Regime is actively targeting civilians and has attacked more than a dozen locations, " the command wrote. CENTCOM said that major international airports in Dubai, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have been attacked, and also cited Erbil International Airport in Iraq, the Port of Dubai and multiple hotels in Dubai and Bahrain. The command further alleged residential areas in Tel Aviv and Beit Shemesh, Israel, as well as residential areas in Bahrain and Qatar, had been targeted. That list has not been independently verified in the provided context.
Smoke was seen rising from a reported Iranian strike in an industrial district of Doha, Qatar on Sunday.
Domestic calls, public order and an incomplete message
In a first video address on Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian called on pro-establishment supporters to congregate at mosques and major city streets despite the war. Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said his forces are prepared to fight for "public safety" as U. S. and Israeli officials have openly called on the Iranian people to protest in the streets in the foreseeable future with the goal of overthrowing the establishment. Security chief Ali Larijani backed the constitutional process for deciding future leadership while making an outreach to countries battling incoming Iranian missiles and drones; in a post on X in Arabic, he said Tehran does not unclear in the provided context.
What comes next
Until the Assembly of Experts selects a new supreme leader, the three-member council will govern; Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the selection process should be complete within days, and that timetable is the next confirmed milestone provided in the available information.
