Iranian authorities have postponed the funeral for the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as intense military strikes by the United States and Israel continue across the country. An official explained that the delay followed a surge of requests from people hoping to attend the three-day ceremony in Tehran, requiring additional preparations and infrastructure. The event had originally been scheduled to begin on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, a member of the Assembly of Experts said the clerical body was nearing a decision on who would replace Khamenei, who was killed in a strike at the start of the US-Israeli assault on Saturday.Iran has responded by firing missiles and deploying drones toward Israel and Gulf nations that host American military bases. Kuwait’s health ministry reported that a young girl died after shrapnel fell on a residential area during one of Iran’s attacks.
At the same time, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said an American submarine destroyed an Iranian naval frigate in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka.According to him, the vessel believed it was safe in international waters before being struck by a torpedo and sunk.S
Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyyakontha, stated that 80 bodies had been recovered from the Iranian warship Iris Dena.He added that 32 people had been rescued while dozens of others remain missing. Hegseth also claimed that US and Israeli forces would soon establish complete control of the airspace over Iran and would gain control of the country in the near future.He said the conflict was never intended to be balanced, adding that the allied forces were striking Iran while it was already weakened.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused US President Donald Trump of dragging the American people into what he described as an unjust war. Khamenei, Iran’s highest authority and spiritual leader, was killed at his Tehran compound during the first wave of US-Israeli strikes. His wife, one of their adult sons, and several senior officials were also killed in the attack. The three-day funeral ceremony for the 86-year-old cleric had been scheduled to begin at 22:00 local time on Wednesday, with mourners invited to pay their respects at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla prayer complex.
However, the head of Tehran province’s Islamic Propaganda Co-ordination Council later announced that the ceremony would be postponed to a later date. Seyyed Mohsen Mahmoudi said the decision was taken due to the high number of people requesting to attend and the need to ensure proper arrangements for the gathering. Following Khamenei’s death, state media broadcast scenes of his supporters protesting in Tehran against the US and Israeli attacks.At the same time, social media footage appeared to show critics celebrating in parts of the capital and other cities.
Khamenei became Iran’s supreme leader in 1989 after the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. During his rule, he maintained strong control over Iran’s political system and armed forces and suppressed opposition to the government, at times through violent crackdowns. During nationwide protests in late December and early January, many demonstrators called for his removal or death. Human rights groups say security forces responding to the protests killed at least 6,480 people.
Under Iran’s constitution, the country’s new supreme leader is selected by the Assembly of Experts. The body’s 88 clerical members are elected every eight years, though critics say Khamenei ensured the group was dominated by conservatives aligned with his views. One member of the assembly, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, said on state television that potential candidates had already been identified but did not reveal their names. He said the new leader would be chosen as soon as possible, though the ongoing war situation had complicated the process.
Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was considered the leading candidate to replace him.Mojtaba, a 56-year-old cleric, is known as a low-profile but influential figure who gained significant authority and wealth during his father’s rule. He is said to have strong ties to conservative factions and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Israel’s defence minister warned that any future Iranian leader who continues to threaten Israel or the United States would become a target for elimination.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said it carried out several waves of airstrikes across Iran on Wednesday. A military official said more than 100 Israeli fighter jets dropped about 250 munitions on a military complex in eastern Tehran that housed multiple command centres. The Israeli military also reported strikes on ballistic missile systems, air defence installations, and a missile storage and production facility, as well as defence and detection systems at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. The IDF added that an Israeli F-35 fighter jet shot down an Iranian Yak-130 aircraft over Tehran, describing it as the first recorded instance of a manned fighter aircraft being downed by an F-35. Iranian authorities had not issued an immediate response to the claim.
On Tuesday night, the head of the US military’s Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said the joint US-Israeli campaign was progressing faster than planned. He said their focus was on destroying weapons and systems capable of attacking their forces.Iran’s state news agency Irna reported that US and Israeli strikes had killed 1,045 military personnel and civilians since the conflict began. The figures could not be independently verified, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that the civilian death toll had risen to 1,097, including 181 children under the age of 10.
Iran’s military has responded by launching hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel and neighbouring Arab countries that host US bases.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told neighbouring states that the US-Israeli assault had left Iran with no option but to defend itself after diplomatic efforts failed. He added that Iran respects the sovereignty of neighbouring nations and believes regional security should be achieved through cooperation among countries in the region.
The statement followed a phone call in which Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, warned Iran against harming neighbouring states or dragging them into a conflict that does not belong to them. According to the Qatari government, he also rejected Iran’s claim that its missile attacks targeted only US interests, pointing to strikes that affected civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
Early on Wednesday, Kuwait’s health ministry reported that an 11-year-old resident had died after being struck by falling shrapnel. Nine other people have died in Kuwait since the conflict began, including six US service members, two Kuwaiti soldiers, and another civilian.Authorities in Saudi Arabia also reported an attempted drone attack targeting the country’s largest oil refinery in Ras Tanura on the Gulf coast, though no damage or disruption was recorded.
Earlier in the week, the facility had temporarily halted some operations after a separate drone strike caused a fire. Turkey’s defence ministry said an Iranian missile heading toward its airspace was intercepted by NATO air and missile defence systems over the eastern Mediterranean.
In Qatar, the State Security Service announced the arrest of 10 individuals linked to two alleged cells connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Authorities said the suspects had been tasked with spying on infrastructure and carrying out sabotage operations. The Israeli military also said its defence systems intercepted additional waves of Iranian missiles. No casualties were immediately reported from those incidents.Overall, missile strikes in Israel have killed 10 people over the past five days.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/
