In a startling development, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is said to be behind pushing the United States to strike Iran, along with Israel, while publicly Riyadh kept batting for diplomatic solutions.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Salman made multiple private phone calls to US President Donald Trump last month. The report is surprising as Riyadh had, in January, assured that it would not allow its territory or airspace to be used for an attack on Iran, adding that Riyadh would uphold and respect the sovereignty of the country.
Since Iran and the US were entangled in conflict, Saudi Arabia had publicly urged both countries to use dialogue as a medium to resolve the issues.
Amid the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, the United States and Israel on Saturday launched a major offensive across key locations in Iran, killing Chief of Army Staff General Abdol Rahim Mousavi, Defence Minister General Aziz Nasirzadeh, and head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and security adviser Ali Shamkhani during a meeting of the country’s defence council, as reported by Iranian state television.
Khamenei was also killed in the strike, but Iran confirmed it on Sunday following Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's claim.
Iranian state media reported that at least 201 died, including 85 at a girls' school in the southern town of Misab. More than 700 were injured in the attack. Reports suggest that around 40 Iranian officials were also killed in the strikes.
In response, Iran launched a massive retaliation with a barrage of missiles across key US bases in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Reacting to Khamenei's death, Trump warned the IRGC and other armed forces to lay down their weapons and enjoy immunity or "die". Trump also urged the Iranian people to take over the government, as according to him, "it will probably be the last chance for them."
Iran, facing uncertainty, has vowed to continue its attack on Israel and US interests in the Middle East while internally rushing to stabilise the falling apart governance.
A three-member interim council has been formed with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme Court Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a cleric of the Guardian Council.
An interim leader to manage Khamenei's affairs, Arafi will be at the helm until the Guardian Council of 88 members decides on the successor.