The first message posted from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s X account after his assassination warned of serious repercussions to the “big mistake” the “zionist regime” made, as tensions in the Middle East continued to escalate following the killing of the long-time cleric.
The post comes a week after Khamenei was confirmed dead in the US-Israel strikes on Iran last weekend.
“The Zionist regime has made a big mistake, and its consequences will make the regime desperate, by God’s grace,” the post said, in what appeared to be a warning directed at Israel. The message came days after Khamenei, 86, was killed in a joint US-Israel military strike on Iranian territory that also targeted senior Iranian officials and military figures.
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Khamenei was killed when US and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on his compound near Pasteur Street in Tehran as part of a broader military operation. The strikes reportedly followed years of intelligence surveillance by Israeli and American agencies, which mapped the Iranian capital in detail and monitored the daily movements of the supreme leader’s security detail to determine the timing of the attack.
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The operation came after US President Donald Trump authorised the campaign while aboard Air Force One, with Israeli aircraft reportedly dropping dozens of precision-guided munitions on the complex, HT earlier reported.
Following Khamenei’s death, Iranian authorities announced a three-day farewell ceremony for the late leader at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla prayer ground, according to Iranian state media.
The killing of Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989 and was only the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, has shaken the country’s political system and triggered intense speculation over his successor. Several reports have suggested that his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, could be his successor, although Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed this.
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The assassination has also intensified geopolitical tensions. US President Trump has said he wanted to be personally involved in the selection of Iran’s next leader and criticised the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei taking power, describing him as “unacceptable” and warning that continuing his father’s policies could lead to renewed conflict with the United States.