Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Saturday revealed details of what happened after officials confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the joint US-Israeli strike on the first day of military operations against Iran on 28 February.
According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Qalibaf said officials confirmed Khamenei’s death around one hour after the bombing of his residence at the leadership compound in central Tehran, prompting the immediate convening of an emergency meeting.
Qalibaf said: “In coordination with Ali Larijani, secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council, we decided to postpone announcing the news until eight o’clock the following morning. The announcement was to be accompanied by the disclosure of the formation of a new leadership council and a call for the public to take to the streets.”
According to the Iranian parliament speaker, those who attended the meeting dispersed quickly after it ended, making immediate communication between them difficult.
However, at around 12:30 am, Persian-language media outlets based outside Iran reported Khamenei’s death.
Qalibaf said events accelerated after what he described as “foreign media” announced the death, forcing the leadership to reconsider its plan and bring forward the official announcement.
He said: “We insisted that the announcement be made at dawn, while people were gathered for the pre-dawn meal.”
He added that had officials delayed that decision, “the situation in the streets would have taken a completely different course”.
Qalibaf continued: “We won the war, but we must consolidate and record this victory. The country must be filled with confidence in the future and optimism about what lies ahead. The condition for a strong Iran is unity around the leadership.”
