BY Rosemary
World leaders scrambled to contain a rapidly escalating crisis on Sunday after coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliatory missile attacks, emergency diplomatic sessions and fears of a broader regional war.
A massive explosion shook Tehran at dawn as Israeli warplanes struck what military officials described as the “heart” of the Iranian capital. The assault followed Israel’s declaration a day earlier that it had effectively cleared a path to operate over the city’s airspace. Plumes of smoke rose above government districts as air defenses fired intermittently across the skyline.
Iran responded with a wave of missile launches across the Gulf. Authorities in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain reported intercepting incoming projectiles, while air-raid sirens sounded in multiple capitals. Though damage assessments were ongoing, regional governments said their air defense systems prevented large-scale destruction.
The death of Ayatollah Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989 and did not publicly designate a successor, has plunged Iran’s political establishment into uncertainty. Analysts warned that the sudden removal of the Islamic Republic’s highest authority could intensify internal power struggles within the clerical leadership and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, even as the country faces external military pressure.
Tensions extended beyond Iran’s borders. Oman, which had served as a quiet intermediary in recent nuclear discussions between Tehran and Washington, said an oil tanker transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz came under attack. Omani authorities also reported a drone strike targeting the port of Duqm, a critical logistical hub used by the U.S. Navy and capable of hosting aircraft carriers. The incidents heightened concerns about the vulnerability of global energy supply routes.
Diplomatic fallout was swift. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session late Saturday marked by sharp exchanges between the American and Iranian ambassadors. Secretary-General António Guterres urged an immediate halt to hostilities, warning that failure to de-escalate could result in a wider conflict with grave humanitarian and geopolitical consequences.
Guterres said the airstrikes raised serious questions under international law, including the U.N. Charter. He also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks, citing violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of several Gulf states. Diplomats described the council chamber as tense, with competing narratives over self-defense, proportionality and regional security dominating the debate.
Across Europe, foreign ministers from the 27-member European Union gathered for urgent consultations. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc condemned Iran’s “indiscriminate military strikes” against its neighbors and stressed that the conflict must not spread further. She emphasized that Tehran faced critical choices about its future course.
In a joint statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for an immediate return to negotiations, underscoring their longstanding efforts to secure a diplomatic resolution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The leaders condemned Iran’s missile attacks and said a negotiated settlement remained the only sustainable path forward.
The 22-member Arab League described Iran’s strikes as a blatant violation of the sovereignty of states advocating for regional stability. At the same time, some Middle Eastern governments appeared cautious in directly criticizing Washington or Jerusalem, reflecting delicate political balances and already strained relations with the United States.
Elsewhere, reactions were more direct. Australia and Canada voiced support for the U.S. action, framing it as a response to escalating security threats. Russia and China sharply criticized the strikes, accusing Washington and Israel of undermining international stability.
The crisis also spilled into the streets. In Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, at least six people were killed during clashes between police and protesters who stormed the U.S. Consulate, according to local authorities. Demonstrators denounced the killing of Khamenei and demanded action against Washington.
In Indian-controlled Kashmir, tens of thousands marched in protest, chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Rallies were reported in several other cities across South Asia and the Middle East.
At the same time, segments of the Iranian diaspora gathered in cities from New York to Berlin, celebrating the end of Khamenei’s decades-long rule. In Berlin, crowds waved pre-revolutionary Iranian flags alongside German, Israeli and American banners. Some participants expressed hope that the power vacuum in Tehran could open a path toward political transformation after more than four decades of clerical rule established following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
U.S. President Donald Trump, announcing the operation in a brief address posted on social media, urged the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” and rise against the Islamic theocracy. His remarks further fueled debate over whether the military campaign aims solely at degrading Iran’s strategic capabilities or seeks to catalyze regime change.
Energy markets braced for volatility as traders monitored developments in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments. Any sustained disruption could reverberate across international markets, compounding geopolitical risk at a time of already fragile global stability.
With Iran vowing devastating retaliation and regional actors reinforcing defenses, diplomats warned that the coming days would be decisive. Whether the conflict narrows through urgent negotiations or widens into a protracted confrontation now hinges on calculations in Tehran, Washington and Jerusalem — and on the ability of international mediators to restore a path to dialogue before events outpace diplomacy.
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