India on Thursday condoled the death ofIran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiwho was killed in a joint US-Israel attack in Iran on February 28. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on behalf of Government of India signed the condolence book at the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi.Khamenei was killed in joint air strikes by the US and Israelearly Saturday, sparking protests and mourning by the Shia sect of Muslims in many parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar and Raebareli.
President Donald Trump said the US objectives were to destroy Iran’s naval and missile capabilities and stop it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He expects the operation to take 4 to 5 weeks, but said it could take “far longer.”
"This was our last, best chance to strike — what we’re doing right now — and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime,” Trump said Monday. Meanwhile, so far during the war, six US service members have been killed, including three killed in the Saturday attack on Iran, according to US Central Command.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said regime change is not the goal.
"We would love for there to be an Iran that’s not governed by radical Shia clerics," Rubio said Monday. "That’s not the objective," he added.
In the wake of Khamenei’s death, Iran’s provisional governing council is expected to name a new supreme leader.
Even before the weekend's deadly strikes, Iran's theocracy had struggled with growing dissent over the economy. Activists say Iran's crackdown on protesters killed thousands.
One of the first strikes Saturday hit near the offices of the 86-year-old Khamenei, who had ruled since 1989. Israel said that it also killed dozens of other top Iranian military officials.
Iran has launched retaliatory missiles and drones targeting Israel and nearby Arab Gulf countries hosting US forces.
Several ships have been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, where a fifth of all traded oil passes. Shipping companies suspended their vessels’ traffic through the Suez Canal, adding to fears the strikes could rattle global markets.
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