Iran moved to name a successor to its slain supreme leader on Sunday, as the US-backed Israeli strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei nine days ago continued to devastate Tehran and spread across the Middle East.
Fuel depots in Tehran were hit in overnight airstrikes, igniting fires that blanketed the city in thick smoke. Officials warned residents of potential toxic fumes, urging them to stay indoors, while windows were shattered by the blasts. Tehran’s governor said fuel distribution had been temporarily interrupted, leaving citizens struggling for gasoline and daily necessities.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts met privately to choose Khamenei’s successor, though no name was officially confirmed. Observers suggest 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, could assume the role. US President Donald Trump had demanded a voice in the nomination, and Israel warned any successor that it would not hesitate to target them. Tehran, however, insisted the decision would remain strictly domestic.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Trump to “apologize to the people of the region and the Iranian people for the killings and destruction.”
Mojtaba Khamenei is viewed as a conservative figure closely aligned with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic’s military. Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said Iran has so far used first- and second-generation missiles, but plans to deploy “advanced and long-range missiles” in coming days.
The conflict has expanded across the region. Israel carried out operations targeting fuel depots in Tehran and a hotel in Beirut, suspected of housing Iranian commanders. Warplanes hit five oil facilities around the Iranian capital, killing at least four people. Iranian missile and drone strikes targeted Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, with reports of damaged fuel tanks, water desalination facilities, and attacks on diplomatic quarters.
Casualties continue to rise. Iran’s health ministry reported at least 1,200 civilian deaths and 10,000 wounded, while Lebanese authorities said 394 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes since the conflict reached Lebanon, including 83 children and 42 women. Two Israeli soldiers have also died.
US President Trump attended the return of six American service members killed in a drone strike on a US base in Kuwait last week. He again refused to rule out sending ground troops to Iran but insisted the war is progressing successfully. Analysts warn the conflict could continue for weeks or months, with no clear resolution in sight.
China and Russia have largely remained on the sidelines, though Moscow is reportedly providing intelligence to Tehran. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi condemned the war, stating: “The world cannot return to the law of the jungle.”
Pope Leo XIV called for peace, praying “that the roar of the bombs may cease, the weapons may fall silent, and a space for dialogue may open.”
