Khamenei’s death is a “declaration of war”

O President of Iran Masud Pezeshkianstated this Sunday (01) that the assassination of the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is an “open declaration of war against Muslims” that legitimizes Tehran to take revenge on Israel and the United States.

“The assassination of the highest political position in the Islamic Republic of Iran and a prominent leader and religious authority in the Shiite world, by the damned American-Zionist axis, is considered a open declaration of war against Muslims, especially Shiites in all corners of the world,” Pezeshkian said in a statement.

The Iranian leader described what happened as “the greatest ordeal the Islamic world faces today” and justified the reprisals adopted by Iran, with attacks on several countries in the Middle East, especially those allies of the United States where the Western power has military bases.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the settlement of accounts and revenge against the material and intellectual authors of this historic crime as its duty and legitimate right, and will employ all its capabilities to fulfill this great responsibility and obligation”, highlighted Pezeshkian.

Transition period

The Iranian president assumed leadership of the nation after Khamenei’s assassination and during the necessary “transition period”, within a council also formed by the head of the Iranian Judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeiand by a lawyer from the Guardian Council, state news agency IRNA reported this Sunday.

Pezeshkian, in power since July 2024, praised Khamenei’s “great and divine leadership”, which – he said – relied on “the will, the vote and the opinion of the people”, which “gave dignity and honor to the Iranian nation and was a thorn in the eye of the enemies of Islam and Iran”.

Pezeshkian’s son, Yousef, said yesterday that the attempts to assassinate his father were unsuccessful and that he was fine.

“Strength never seen before”

The President of the United States, Donald Trumptoday threatened to attack Iran with “force never seen before” if the country fulfills its promise to avenge Khamenei’s death with a historic offensive against the US and Israel.

Despite the threat, Iran continued this Sunday morning attacking Israel with different missile waveswhich causes anti-aircraft sirens to go off in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in addition to explosions caused by interceptions in the sky.

The EFE Agency was unable to independently verify the extent of the Israeli and American attacks in the Islamic Republic, where the international press is not allowed to visit or record images of the sites affected by the bombings.