India expressed its condolences on the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, and Foreign Minister Vikram Misri signed a condolence book on behalf of the Indian government at the Iranian embassy in Delhi. This is India’s first diplomatic gesture since the death of the former supreme leader. Misri also met the Iranian ambassador.
Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on Iran on February 28. His death was confirmed by state media a few hours after US President Donald Trump announced it.
On Thursday, Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Israeli and US bases and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” the torpedoing of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, while Israel said it had launched a “large-scale” attack on Tehran, according to an AP report.
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The warship IRIS Dena, a 1,500-tonne Moudge-class frigate, was on its way to Iran after participating in the Milan 2026 multilateral naval exercise in Visakhapatnam. Iranian officials said the vessel had visited India before the attack and was carrying around 130 sailors when it was hit off the coast of Sri Lanka.
The new wave of attacks by the Islamic Republic came days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Hours later on the same day, Iran launched retaliatory strikes – with explosions reported in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Kuwait, among others – which are also home to US military bases.
The conflict, which has now entered its sixth day, has also led to massive flight disruptions. Dubai’s airports were closed, with most flights to and from Gulf cities affected for at least three consecutive days.
Iranian cleric calls for ‘Trump’s blood’
On Thursday, an Iranian cleric called for the “shedding” of blood from Israelis and US President Donald Trump.
Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli called for “the shedding of Zionist blood, the shedding of Trump’s blood,” the AP reported, citing his statement.
Who will be the next supreme leader of Iran?
Iran has yet to elect a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. Ayatollah Dr. Abdul Majeed Hakeemelahi, the representative of Iran’s supreme leader in India, also said that the process of electing a new leader was still underway.
“This report is not true because (the council) has not selected or nominated anyone yet and the process is still ongoing,” Hakeemelahi told PTI when asked about some media reports claiming that Ayatollah Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been chosen as his successor.
“There are several candidates for this position and Ayatollah Mojtaba is one of them. It is not because he is the son of Ayatollah Khamenei. Rather, because of his qualifications, they may consider selecting him. But it is not finalized and it is still being assessed whether they will find a qualified person for the position,” the representative was quoted as saying by news channel PTI.
