Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and two other top officials will lead Iran in the transitional period following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, state television reported on Sunday. Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and another official from the country's legal council will be part of the trio overseeing the transition, according to state television, which cited Mohammad Mokhber, one of Khamenei's advisors.

Iranian state media announced Khamenei's death early on Sunday and his body was found after the strike. US President Donald Trump said the United States worked closely with Israel to target the man who led Iran since 1989.

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards vowed "severe, decisive" punishment for Khamenei's "murderers" in a statement. The Guards added they would launch the "most ferocious" operation in history against Israel and US bases, which are located in Gulf countries that are already counting the cost of an unprecedented series of deadly Iranian strikes.

Loud blasts again pierced Tehran in the early hours, as Trump vowed no let-up in the strikes until the fall of the Islamic Republic and urged security forces to stand down. "This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country," Trump said in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly said to Iranians, "This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future."

Iran responded to the attack with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv as explosions rocked the showcase cities of Gulf Arab monarchies.
(With inputs from AFP & Reuters)