By The South Asia Times

TEHRAN - Before American and Israeli airstrikes began pounding Iranian targets on Saturday, Iran’s long-time supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had already prepared for the possibility of his death, according to The New York Times latest report.

Iranian state media said Sunday that the 86-year-old cleric was assassinated in the attacks, hours after US President Donald Trump publicly announced his death. The confirmation marked a dramatic turning point for the Islamic Republic, which Khamenei had led since 1989.

As supreme leader, Khamenei wielded sweeping authority -- serving as commander in chief of the armed forces and holding ultimate power over state policy. Revered by loyalists as a guardian of the revolution founded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he also ruled with an iron grip, suppressing dissent and resisting political reform throughout nearly four decades in power 

- Transitional Authority Announced

Shortly after confirming Khamenei’s death, the state news agency IRNA reported that Iran’s president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council would collectively oversee the country during a transitional period. Officials did not immediately clarify the timeline or process for appointing a permanent successor.

Under Iran’s constitution, the supreme leader is selected by the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body tasked with appointing and supervising the country’s highest authority.

Last June, during a 12-day conflict with Israel when Khamenei reportedly went into hiding, he named three potential successors, according to senior Iranian officials cited in earlier reports. They included judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i; his chief of staff, Ali Asghar Hejazi; and Hassan Khomeini, a grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder who is viewed as a more moderate cleric.

The Israeli military later said that Hejazi had been killed in the recent strikes, potentially narrowing the field of candidates.

Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, long seen as influential behind the scenes, has been favored by some conservative factions. However, the late supreme leader had publicly rejected the idea of a hereditary succession.

Uncertainty and Division

By late Saturday, scenes of division were evident across Tehran. While officials vowed retaliation, some residents in certain neighborhoods were reported to be celebrating news of Khamenei’s death. Videos shared privately showed people cheering and setting off fireworks, though such displays carried significant risk in a tightly controlled security environment.

Senior figures quickly signaled defiance. Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s National Security Council, declared that Iran would respond forcefully to what he described as aggression by “Zionist criminals” and the United States. Larijani had reportedly been delegated expanded authority in recent days as Khamenei prepared for wartime contingencies.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had said earlier in the week that the country would continue defending itself even if senior leaders were lost in a broader conflict. “We have no limit in defending ourselves,” he said in remarks carried by Iranian media.

With the country’s most powerful figure now gone, attention turns to whether Iran’s carefully structured succession plans can ensure stability -- or whether the leadership vacuum will deepen internal divisions at a moment of heightened regional tension.