Operation Roaring Lion – Day Two: Iranian state television announced Sunday morning, for the first time officially, that Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed Saturday in the opening strike of the war launched by Israel and the United States. He had been attending a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Defense Council and was killed alongside Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
It was also confirmed, as reported Saturday night, that those killed in the meeting included Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpour; Secretary of the Supreme Defense Council and senior adviser to the supreme leader Ali Shamkhani; and Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
The opening blow of Operation Roaring Lion occurred at 8:10 a.m. Saturday, when the IDF simultaneously struck several locations in Tehran where senior political and security officials had convened. According to Iranian state media, leadership authority will temporarily be transferred to a three-member council comprising President Masoud Pezeshkian, Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a representative of the Guardian Council.
Senior officials who survived continued to issue threats against Israel and the United States on Sunday morning. Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said: “The enemy is mistaken if it believes that assassinating leaders will destabilize Iran. The Iranian people have proven their loyalty to their leadership. We are fully aware that the enemy knows Khamenei’s place in the heart of the Iranian people, and therefore we will burn the hearts of our enemies. Khamenei insisted on continuing his life as usual, without any extraordinary measures.”
He claimed that the purpose of the war was the United States’ desire “to plunder the wealth of the Iranian people,” adding: “The people will overcome this historic turning point with determination and strength. Iranian missiles launched yesterday at American bases and at Israel were painful, but today they will be even more painful. American bases in regional countries are not the land of those countries but American soil. We have spoken with leaders of regional states and emphasized that Iran does not seek war and does not attack regional countries. Iran is compelled to strike American bases in the region because they are attacking Iran, and our forces will continue to strike them.”
The New York Times reported that, as a result of intelligence about the gathering of senior Iranian officials and Khamenei’s location, Israel succeeded in decapitating most of Iran’s leadership in the opening minutes of the war. The strike was reportedly initially planned for nighttime, under cover of darkness, but the decision was made to attack in the morning once it became known that such a meeting was taking place in daylight.
Iranian television report of Khameini's death
“We will continue in the path of our great imam. We have prepared ourselves for all scenarios, and plans were made following Khamenei’s death,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday.
Addressing the United States and Israel, he added: “You have crossed our red line. We will strike you with terrible blows until you beg for mercy. Our forces have attacked all centers of the Israeli enemy and the American bases. Our attacks will continue. The enemy will understand that it is delusional. Its delusion will not last more than a few days.”
Responding to the Iranian officials’ threats, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!"
First published: 11:12, 03.01.26