Iran President Pezeshkian vows revenge after Khamenei killed in US–Israel strikes (Picture credit: AP)

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that avenging the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is both a “legitimate duty and right” of the Islamic Republic, following joint US–Israeli strikes that killed the 86-year-old leader.In a statement carried by state television, Pezeshkian said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.”He further described Khamenei’s killing as a “declaration of war against Muslims”. Calling it the assassination of “the highest political authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a prominent leader of Shiism worldwide,” Pezeshkian said it was “perceived as an open declaration of war against Muslims, and particularly against Shiites, everywhere in the world.”

Leadership vacuum and rising tensions

Iranian state television and the IRNA news agency confirmed Khamenei’s death early Sunday. US President Donald Trump had announced the killing hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.The killing came after what Trump described as “heavy and pinpoint bombing” targeting Iranian military and governmental sites. The strikes mark the second time in eight months that Washington has attacked Iran during talks over its nuclear programme.Khamenei, who held final authority over all major state matters, leaves behind no publicly confirmed successor. His death is widely seen as creating a serious leadership vacuum and raising fears of regional instability.

Threats of retaliation

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned it would launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever against Israel and US bases, according to news agency AP. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called US and Israeli leaders “filthy criminals” who would face “devastating blows”.Across the region, unrest followed. In Pakistan’s Karachi, at least six people were killed when protesters stormed the US Consulate. Tens of thousands also demonstrated in Kashmir and denounced the Iranian Supreme Leader’s killing, chanting slogans against the US and Israel.Hamas mourned Khamenei’s death, describing the strike as a “heinous” US–Israeli attack, according to AFP. Islamic Jihad called it a “war crime” committed in a “treacherous and malicious attack”.Meanwhile, Iran has faced a near-total internet blackout for a second day, with NetBlocks saying connectivity had dropped to just 1 per cent of normal levels.As missile exchanges continue and threats escalate, Pezeshkian’s statement signals that Tehran sees the killing not just as an attack on its leadership, but as a turning point that could reshape the conflict across the Middle East.