Iranian media has confirmed the death of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies confirmed his death early Sunday, hours after Israel and the US announced his death.
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PREMIUM TIMES reports that President Donald Trump said the Iranian leader was killed by US and Israeli missiles.
The Iranian government has declared 40 days of public mourning in the wake of Mr Khamenei’s killing. It also announced seven days of public holidays.
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Mr Khamenei assumed office as the supreme leader in 1989, following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the cleric who led the Islamic revolution in 1979.
Mr Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law and grandson are also believed to have been killed in the strike that caused his death.
Iran is expected to continue its retaliatory strikes against Israel and US interests in the region despite Mr Khamenei’s death.
A new leader is expected to be appointed as spelt out in the Iranian constitution.
“Under that process, there’s going to be a council of three people, including the Iranian president, head of the judiciary and one cleric from the Guardian Council, who are going to take control of the country,” Al Jazeera reports.
Apart from being Iran’s leader, Mr Khamenei was also seen as the global leader of millions of Shiite Muslims around the world.
