Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is vowing sweeping retaliation following the confirmed death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, promising what it called the “most ferocious offensive operation in history” targeting U.S. bases and Israel.

Iranian state television confirmed that Khamenei was killed during a strike on his compound in downtown Tehran. Satellite imagery from Airbus reportedly shows the site sustained heavy bombardment.

In a sharply worded statement, the IRGC declared: “The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them.”

The powerful military body added that “the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and what it called the vast popular Basij forces will powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland.”

Iran’s cabinet echoed the threat, warning that this “great crime will never go unanswered.”

State television described Khamenei as being at his office when the initial attack began, asserting that his presence there “showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance.”

In the wake of his death, Iranian state media announced that 40 days of public mourning have been declared across the country.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)