The Middle East was thrust into a widening war after US and Israeli strikes on Iran killed the country’s supreme leader.
An interim committee took over governing Iran after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989 and oversaw a nuclear program that triggered punishing sanctions. The latest strikes by the US and Israel came amid negotiations over that nuclear program that had been due to resume within days.
Khamenei saw off opponents at home while extending Tehran’s power across the Middle East via a network of proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Several top commanders were also killed in the strikes and no clear successor is lined up, but experts said that grassroots regime change, which US President Donald Trump encouraged, remains challenging.
Tehran retaliated by striking Israel and US Gulf allies, rattling nations whose economic booms require security and stability.