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Iran begins 40-day mourning after Khamenei killed in US-Israeli attack

Iran has begun 40 days of mourning after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel, according to Iranian state media.

Top security officials were also killed in Saturday’s strikes, along with Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law and grandson. The killings mark one of the most significant blows to Iran’s leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

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President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killing as “a great crime”, according to a statement from his office. He also declared seven days of public holidays in addition to the 40-day mourning period.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said people were pouring into the streets of the capital following the news of Khamenei’s killing.

“There will be expected ceremonies,” he said, noting they would likely take place amid continuing bombardment across the country.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes — People mourn at the Enghelab Square in Tehran [Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters]

Protests denouncing Khamenei’s killing were also reported elsewhere, including Shiraz, Yasuj and Lorestan.

“There will be expected ceremonies,” he said, noting they would likely take place amid continuing bombardment across the country.

Footage aired by Iranian state media showed supporters mourning at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, with several people seen crying and collapsing in grief.

The killing also led to protests in neighbouring Iraq, which declared three days of public mourning. In Baghdad, protesters confronted security forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies.

Videos verified by Al Jazeera showed demonstrators waving flags and shouting slogans, with witnesses saying some were attempting to mobilise towards the US Embassy. Footage also showed protesters blocking vehicles at a roundabout near one of the entrances to the area.

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite armed groups gather after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad — Protesters demonstrate near the entrance of the Green Zone after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 1, 2026 [Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters]

There was also a protest in the Pakistani city of Karachi, where footage, verified by Al Jazeera, showed people setting fire to and smashing the windows of the US consulate.

However, there have also been reports of celebrations in Iran, with the Reuters news agency quoting witnesses as saying some people had taken to the streets in Tehran, the nearby city of Karaj and the central city of Isfahan.

Meanwhile, the official IRNA news agency reported that a three-person council, consisting of the country’s president, the chief of the judiciary, and one of the jurists of the Guardian Council, will temporarily assume all leadership duties in the country. The body will temporarily oversee the country until a new supreme leader is elected.

Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the US and Israel of trying to plunder Iran, in an interview aired on state TV.

He also called on Iranians to unite. “Groups seeking to divide Iran should know that we will not tolerate it,” he added.

Khamenei assumed leadership of Iran in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had led the Islamic revolution a decade earlier.

While Khomeini was regarded as the ideological force behind the revolution that ended the Pahlavi monarchy, Khamenei went on to shape Iran’s military and paramilitary apparatus, strengthening both its domestic control and its regional influence.

Attacks across the region

Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pledged revenge and said it had launched strikes on 27 bases hosting US troops in the region, as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv.

Explosions have continued to be reported in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while security alerts are in place in several countries across the region.

US President Donald Trump, in a social media post on Sunday, warned Iran that it would be hit “with a force that has ⁠never been seen before” if it retaliated.

Iran’s retaliatory attacks since Saturday have targeted Israel and US assets across multiple Middle East countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Harlan Ullman, chairman of the strategic advisory firm Killowen Group and an adviser to the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, said the US may have made a “big mistake” by killing Khamenei.

“Decapitation only works when you get all the leaders, and I don’t think that we got all the leaders,” Ullman said, adding that the US should not expect Iran’s leadership to enter negotiations in the immediate aftermath.

At least 9 killed in pro-Iran protest at US consulate in Pakistan’s Karachi

At least nine people have been killed near a United States consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi after protests broke out following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an official has told Al Jazeera.

Several others were injured as security forces opened fire to scatter hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters trying to storm the consulate early on Sunday morning.

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Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Al Jazeera at least nine bodies were brought to Karachi’s civil hospital.

Video footage shared online and verified by Al Jazeera showed a wounded person being transported by bystanders. Other images showed protesters attempting to storm the US consulate building located on the city’s Mai Kolachi Road.

Large protests also broke out in other parts of Pakistan.

Protesters set fire to a United Nations ⁠office building in Pakistan’s northern city of Skardu, ⁠in the Shia-majority Gilgit Baltistan (GB) region, known for its Himalayan peaks popular with tourists.

“A large number of protesters have gathered outside the UN office in GB and ⁠burned down the building,” local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir told Reuters news agency, adding no casualties had been reported.

Iran protest Pakistan — Police gather after a protest outside the US consulate in Karachi, March 1, 2026 [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]

In the central city of Lahore, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US consulate, but there were no reports of violence.

“Some of the protesters tried to damage ‌the security gate, hundreds of yards away from the consulate. However, police stopped them without using force,” Aqeel Raza, a witness, told Reuters.

A demonstration is also expected near the diplomatic enclave housing the US embassy in the capital, Islamabad, on Sunday afternoon.

Protests over Khamenei’s killing have also broken out elsewhere in the world, including Iraq, Morocco, and Indian-administered Kashmir.

IIraq Declares Three Days Of Mourning Over Iran’s Khamenei

Iraq announced on Sunday a three-day mourning period after the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that “with deep sorrow, we extend our condolences to the noble people of Iran and the entire Muslim world” after Khamenei was killed in “a blatant act of aggression”.

READ ALSO: Iran Strikes US Bases In Iraq, Gulf After Khamenei’s Death

He said the government had announced three days of mourning, while urging an immediate cessation of military operations that “are driving the region to unprecedented levels of violence”.

Iran wields a significant influence in Iraqi politics and also backs armed groups, whose power has grown both politically and financially.

Iraq has for decades been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran.

The Coordination Framework, a ruling coalition of Shiite groups with varying degrees of links to Iran, said “with deep sorrow and profound grief, we mourn the passing of the martyred leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei”.

His “blood will remain a guiding light for all generations” and “the curse will continue to haunt the murderous Zionists for all time”, the coalition added.

In-form McCloskey keen to make most of Ireland chance

David Mohan

BBC Sport NI journalist

1 hour ago

If perseverance and desire fuelled Stuart McCloskey when chasing down Marcus Smith in the closing stages of Ireland’s 42-21 Six Nations win over England last week, it was perhaps a microcosm of his international career.

The 33-year-old centre made his Test debut at Twickenham during the 2016 edition as England claimed a 21-10 win on their way to a Grand Slam, but appearances during Joe Schmidt’s reign as Ireland coach proved few and far between.

With Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw the preferred midfield partnership at that time, McCloskey found himself out of favour, while Schmidt did not seem keen on the Ulster man who earned just two further caps during his tenure.

Performances for Ulster were catching the eye and McCloskey was beginning to play his way in, despite filling the dreaded 24th man role more times than he would have preferred.

A run in the team during the 2022 autumn wins over South Africa, Fiji and Australia seemed to solidify a partnership with Garry Ringrose and that carried into the following year’s Six Nations with McCloskey starting against Wales, France and Italy.

However, misfortune would be the culprit this time as injury ruled him out of the remaining games against Scotland and England as Ireland won the Grand Slam as Aki seized his opportunity.

“It wasn’t hard mentally as I thought I did pretty well,” McCloskey reflected.

“Unfortunately I had the calf tear and Bundee came in. That was a straight swap and we saw what he did for those last two games which led into the World Cup.

“Back then it wasn’t the done thing to put a 12 on the bench and Bundee was unbelievable during that World Cup cycle and was nominated for World Player of the Year.

Stuart McCloskey in actin against England in 2016

It’s been a reversal this time, with Aki suspended for the opening three games of Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, opening the door for McCloskey to stake his claim once again.

While Ireland’s campaign got off to a slow start with an emphatic defeat by France before surviving a scare against Italy, it all came together against England.

McCloskey was a key figure in that game, making line breaks, creating opportunities, putting in the tackles which culminated with that last-ditch tackle on Smith, who seemed to be in the clear to salvage a four-try bonus point as a form of consolation for Steve Borthwick’s team.

Racing back to make that challenge turned McCloskey into something of a viral sensation afterwards, giving him “a few laughs as there are some funny memes going about”.

However, it was an incident during training on the Tuesday before the game when Farrell challenged him for not making the same effort which reminded him of the effort required at Test level.

“It wasn’t like Andy went through us, but just pointed it out and a couple of us were still struggling with soreness from the weekend, but he was right.

‘This is vindication for the years of slogging it out’

Aki is back with the Ireland squad as they prepare for Friday’s game against Wales in Dublin (20:10 GMT), but will he return to the starting line-up?

On current form, many will feel McCloskey deserves to retain his place and he is certainly hopeful that he can continue to make the most of his chances in the green jersey.

“I’ve always said you have to enjoy the environment and even being the 24th man I enjoyed, but you always want the opportunity (to play) and over the last seven or eight months, I’ve had a good run at it,” he said.

“I suppose it’s (praise) vindication for the years of slogging it out and not getting too much love. You’ve got to enjoy to as these things don’t last forever.