United News of Bangladesh

Iran launched missiles at targets in Israel and Gulf Arab states on Sunday following its vow of massive retaliation after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike. Iran confirmed Khamenei’s death in the strike on his Tehran office Saturday, an event that raises uncertainty over the future of the Islamic Republic and heightens the risk of regional instability. The 86-year-old’s death “showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance,” Iranian state TV said. Trump described the killing as giving Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote in a social media post. Iran’s Cabinet vowed the “great crime will never go unanswered,” while the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened its “most intense offensive operation” ever, targeting U.S. and Israeli bases. “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg.” “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,” Trump responded on social media. “THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!” Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard commander, senior security adviser killed in US-Israeli strikes Iran retaliates Following the initial airstrikes, Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. The Israeli military said dozens of Iranian missiles were fired at Israel, many intercepted. Magen David Adom reported that a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being wounded in the attack. Air traffic across the Middle East was disrupted as explosions and air defense fire continued over Dubai into Sunday morning. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile struck the UAE capital, killing one person, while debris from interceptions caused fires at the city’s main port and on the facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel. The U.S.-Israel strike marks a major escalation in American military intervention, with potential for retaliatory violence and wider conflict. It represents a significant demonstration of force by a U.S. president who campaigned on “America First” and promised to avoid “forever wars.” Khamenei’s death, the second strike on Iran under Trump’s second term, creates a leadership vacuum, as no known successor has been publicly designated. He had the final authority over all major policies and led both Iran’s clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard. “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” Trump said. Iran quickly formed a council to govern until a new supreme leader is chosen. State media reported the deaths of the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser to Khamenei in the airstrikes. Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour succeeded the Guard’s previous commander, killed by Israel last June. Adviser Ali Shamkhani was a key figure in Iran’s security establishment, IRNA reported. Iran warns ‘great crime’ will not go unanswered after Khamenei killed Eyewitnesses in Tehran said some residents celebrated Khamenei’s death, cheering from rooftops and blowing whistles, while mourners raised a black flag over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. The government declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day nationwide holiday. Citing unidentified sources, the semi-official Fars news agency reported several relatives of Khamenei, including a daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and grandchild, were also killed. Strikes were planned for months Officials said the joint U.S.-Israel operation, planned for months, occurred Saturday during Ramadan and the start of Iran’s workweek. The strike followed stalled negotiations, with Trump framing it as necessary to prevent Iran’s nuclear program resurgence. About 12 hours after the attacks began, the U.S. military reported no American casualties and minimal damage at U.S. bases despite “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.” Targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard facilities, air defenses, missile and drone sites, and airfields. Israel reported killing the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the defense minister, and Khamenei’s security council secretary, a close adviser. An Iranian diplomat told the U.N. Security Council that hundreds of civilians were killed or injured. Iran retaliated with missiles and drones against Israel and U.S. bases, and exchanges of fire continued into the night. Some strikes hit near Khamenei’s office. Israeli officials confirmed his death, later confirmed by Trump. Democrats criticized Trump for acting without congressional approval, though White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said leaders from both parties were briefed in advance. Tensions soar as US builds up forces Tensions escalated as the U.S. deployed the largest Middle East military force in decades. Trump insisted he sought a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program amid growing domestic unrest. Despite declaring Iran’s nuclear program destroyed last year, U.S. officials said Iran was rebuilding, developing the capability to produce high-quality centrifuges needed for enriched uranium. Iran maintained its uranium enrichment rights while attempting to prevent inspectors from visiting bombed sites. Khamenei dead in strike, Iranian media confirm Operation coordination and casualties Israel said the strike was coordinated with the U.S. Air Force pilots hit “hundreds of targets across Iran,” including military, government, and intelligence sites. Trump acknowledged possible U.S. casualties, saying, “that often happens in war,” and warned the Revolutionary Guard to surrender or face “certain death.” In southern Iran, at least 115 people were killed in a girls’ school strike, with dozens more wounded, state TV reported. IRNA cited 15 deaths in the southwest, including a sports hall, two residential areas, and a hall near a school. Regional impact The attacks could disrupt global markets, especially if Iran threatens the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of worldwide oil passed in 2025. Saudi Arabia said it repelled Iranian attacks on its capital and eastern region. Bahrain reported a missile strike on the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, damaging three buildings. Kuwait said a drone struck its main airport, injuring employees, and shrapnel hit Ali Al-Salem air base. Explosions were also reported in Qatar, while Jordan said it “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles.    

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a senior security adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed in airstrikes conducted by the United States and Israel, state media reported Sunday. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, who became the Guard’s top commander after Israel killed his predecessor during the 12-day June war, was among those killed. Also killed was Ali Shamkhani, a long-standing figure in Iran’s security establishment, who had been wounded in the June conflict, IRNA said. Council formed to govern Iran after Khamenei’s killingA council has been formed to govern Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The council, enshrined in Iranian law, consists of the sitting president, the head of the judiciary, and a member of the Guardian Council selected by the Expediency Council, which advises the supreme leader and resolves disputes with parliament. Iranian reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei are members of the council. Iranian law mandates that the Assembly of Experts “must, as soon as possible,” select a new supreme leader. Debris from aerial interception sparks fire at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Dubai authorities said debris from an aerial interception caused a fire at the city’s Jebel Ali Port, a major global transshipment hub. The Dubai Media Office stated that emergency crews responded immediately to the blaze on one of the port’s berths and worked to contain it. The sprawling Jebel Ali, located between Dubai’s two man-made palm-shaped islands, is the world’s busiest port outside East Asia. Debris from the interception also struck the Palm Jumeirah. Officials reported that debris from an intercepted drone caused a fire on the facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel. The media office also noted that Dubai International Airport was damaged and four employees were injured. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatens “most-intense offensive operation” everIran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned Sunday that it would launch its “most-intense offensive operation” in response to Khamenei’s death. “The most-intense offensive operation in the history of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin in moments, targeting (Israel) and American terrorist bases,” it said. Mourners raised a black flag over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and a major Shiite pilgrimage site. Global shipping firm instructs vessels in Persian Gulf to shelterA global shipping company has ordered its vessels in and bound for the Persian Gulf to seek shelter due to rising military tensions and restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. CMA CGM said on its website that it had suspended passage through the Suez Canal, a key route connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas. “Vessels will be rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope,” the company said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard promises “regret-inducing punishment”The Revolutionary Guard vowed Sunday that a “severe, decisive and regret-inducing punishment” would follow Khamenei’s death. The Guard, which answered only to Khamenei, said after state media confirmed the 86-year-old leader’s death: “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and what it called the vast popular Basij forces will powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland.”