Leading up to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the Central Intelligence Agency assessed that if Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, he would likely be replaced by a hardline figure from the IRGC in Iran, according to a report from Reuters.
The report on the situation was put together over the course of two weeks and looked at what would happen broadly in Iran if the US were to intervene. The IRGC is the military of Iran and has the purpose of keeping Shi’ite Muslim clerical rule as the law of the land in Iran.
The agency, however, did not say any scenario was certain if the Iranian leader was killed, per the outlet. The strikes against Iran came early on Saturday morning, in coordination with the Israeli military. The operation, named "Operation Epic Fury," targeted Iranian regime leaders along with the Ayatollah. There have been some reports that Khamenei has been killed, but confirmation remains unclear as of Saturday morning.
When announcing the operation to strike Iran, Trump said, "A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world."
"To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations," he later added.
Iran has responded to the strikes, hitting military bases in nearby Arab nations aligned with the US. Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes from Iran at the various Arab states, as well as Qatar.
The report on the situation was put together over the course of two weeks and looked at what would happen broadly in Iran if the US were to intervene. The IRGC is the military of Iran and has the purpose of keeping Shi’ite Muslim clerical rule as the law of the land in Iran.
The agency, however, did not say any scenario was certain if the Iranian leader was killed, per the outlet. The strikes against Iran came early on Saturday morning, in coordination with the Israeli military. The operation, named "Operation Epic Fury," targeted Iranian regime leaders along with the Ayatollah. There have been some reports that Khamenei has been killed, but confirmation remains unclear as of Saturday morning.
When announcing the operation to strike Iran, Trump said, "A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world."
"To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations," he later added.
Iran has responded to the strikes, hitting military bases in nearby Arab nations aligned with the US. Saudi Arabia condemned the strikes from Iran at the various Arab states, as well as Qatar.
