Iran to Urgently Select New Supreme Leader Following Khamenei's Death, Assembly of Experts Convenes
TEHRAN - Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has confirmed that the Assembly of Experts will convene on Sunday (1 March 2026) to initiate the process of selecting a new Supreme Leader of Iran to replace Ali Khamenei, who has been killed.
“According to Article 111 of Iran’s Constitution, in the event of the death of the Supreme Leader, the Assembly of Experts must select a new Supreme Leader as quickly as possible,” Larijani stated, as reported by Iran’s national television.
“The Assembly of Experts will sit today and the process will begin,” he added.
On Saturday morning (28 February 2026) local time, the United States and Israel launched a series of attacks against Iran, including the capital Tehran, resulting in infrastructure damage and civilian casualties. Iran subsequently launched retaliatory missile strikes against Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East.
On Sunday, Iran’s national television confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed as a result of the US-Israeli missile attacks.
Regarding the retaliatory strikes, Larijani assured that Iran has no intention of attacking neighbouring countries in the Middle East region, but that Tehran’s objective is solely to strike US military bases, which are not located on their territory.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has made good on its pledge to attack all US military bases in the region if attacked first. Iranian media has reported that, to date, fourteen US military bases across Western Asia have been struck by Iranian missiles.
The Tasnim News Agency reported that sources within Iran’s military stated that dozens of military bases have been targeted by Iran. Behnam Saeedi, Secretary of the Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy of Iran’s Shura Council, also confirmed today that Iran’s Armed Forces have targeted seven US military bases in seven countries.
Saeedi added that the Islamic Republic’s response to the aggression is direct and what has been carried out so far is merely a preliminary action, not a definitive response. Iran has previously sworn that US military bases in the region will be attacked if the Islamic Republic is targeted.
The United States maintains eight permanent military bases in Western Asia, located in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, they have access to approximately a dozen other military facilities in the region, including locations in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.