Iran Plots Its Next Steps As Military Strikes Continue

Iran is vowing vengeance against the U.S. and Israel and signaling to the world that its government is not about to collapse, despite airstrikes Saturday that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a cadre of other senior Iranian leaders.

Into Sunday, Iranian forces launched missiles and drones at targets throughout the Middle East, including against U.S. bases in the region and Israel. Some of those targets were apprehended by British fighter jets, U.K. Defense Minister John Healey said Sunday. Kuwait’s military also said it intercepted many of the Iranian missiles fired at its airspace on Sunday.

Many, however, have hit their targets and casualties mount. Kuwait’s health ministry announced Sunday that Iran’s latest volley of strikes killed one person and wounded 20 others. A strike against targets in central Israel killed six people on Sunday. The death toll in the United Arab Emirates from Iranian attacks rose to three on Sunday.

Oman, in a first, faced Iranian attacks Sunday. The decision to attack Oman is surprising considering Muscat was the main mediator of the nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran and prompted rebukes from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states.

The strikes have only roused more hostility from Gulf Arab states toward Iran, which has long been an adversary for Sunni Arab monarchies in the region. Saudi Arabia on Sunday also condemned Iranian strikes against its territory. It is unclear how those states, including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, will respond to the continued Iranian offensive, as worries of wider regional war continue.

Meanwhile, Tehran shows no signs of buckling, even as Khamenei’s death creates a major power vacuum in the country. On Sunday, Iranian state media announced that a three-person interim leadership council will lead the country until Iran’s Assembly of Religious Experts can elect a new supreme leader.

The triumvirate of sorts is Iranian Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, cleric Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was also targeted in the U.S. and Israeli strikes Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera Sunday that the selection of the next supreme leader "may" occur "in a day or two." He also insisted Iran is only attacking U.S. military personnel and facilities helping them, "not attacking our brothers in the Persian Gulf."

Israel and the United States, meanwhile, continue to conduct military operations in Iran. Israel vowed to strike “the heart of Tehran” Sunday, as Israel claims its actions have taken out at least 40 top Iranian officials. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Sunday there will be “a nonstop air train” against Iran.

Iranian state media confirmed that in addition to Khamenei, strikes also killed Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, who took over as head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard after the death of the previous commander in the 12-day war in June last year.

So far, the U.S. has suffered no casualties in the region, despite attacks on U.S. bases. But Pezeshkian said Sunday that Iran "considers blood and revenge against the perpetrators and leaders of this crime as the duty of its legitimate right," per a statement from Iranian state media.

Shiite protesters in Pakistan stormed the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, prompting clashes with Pakistani police. At least six people are dead after the clashes.

President Donald Trump on Truth Social warned Iran against too much vengeance.

“They better not do that ... because if they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before,” Trump said on Truth Social.