ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939-2026), the former supreme leader of Iran, on the first day of the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran that began on February 28, shifted global headlines within 24 hours from the Jeffrey Epstein case to the death of the Iranian leader and the escalating war in the Middle East.
As the Iran-Israel-US war continues to widen, Tehran’s Assembly of Experts - the clerical body responsible for selecting the ultimate arbiter of the country’s political and religious system - on Sunday elected Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the third supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.
The move came in defiance of US President Donald Trump, who had stated on Friday that the selection of the 56-year-old would be “unacceptable,” warning that he “is not going to last long” without Washington’s approval. On Monday, Trump reaffirmed his stance, telling NBC News, “I think they [the Iranian side] made a big mistake.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), however, has officially declared its support for Mojtaba Khamenei, emphasizing its readiness to carry out the incoming leader’s orders, indicating that further escalation will likely be in store.
Three-phase strategy
The US-Israel campaign against Iran entered its eleventh day on Tuesday, with bombardments largely targeting security and military installations as well as government institutions across the country.
US forces have struck more than 5,000 targets in the first ten days of Operation Epic Fury, the US Central Command said early Tuesday, noting that the campaign aims to dismantle Tehran’s security apparatus.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said its forces had struck “over 5,000” targets and left more than 50 Iranian ships “damaged or destroyed” since the campaign began on February 28 at the direction of US President Donald Trump.
A close observation of the US-Israeli operations shows that the offensive is largely divided into three distinct phases: eliminating the leadership and neutralizing air defenses; destroying bases and headquarters of the IRGC to weaken Iran’s military capacity and retaliatory capabilities; and dismantling the country’s military manufacturing and energy infrastructure.
The first and second phases were carried out rapidly during the first week of the escalation. By the third day of the war, IRGC and security centers in cities across Iran - including its Kurdish-majority western regions (Rojhelat) - had been targeted, followed by strikes on television towers and broadcasting facilities. The attacks also focused on active missile launch sites and military bases in an effort to cripple Iran’s ability to retaliate.
Major targets in Tehran included decision-making institutions such as the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the Presidential Office, the Assembly of Experts building, and key security headquarters. Strategic defense and nuclear facilities, the judiciary, and the state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, as well as intelligence and police centers, were also targeted.
Following the bombings, a thick black cloud covered the sky over Tehran, prompting the Iranian health ministry to warn of severe air pollution and toxicity.
In major cities such as Isfahan, Qom, Shiraz, and Tabriz, nearly all IRGC headquarters - as well as police stations and intelligence offices - were also struck.
The third phase of the war began at the start of the second week, shifting the focus to airports, industrial plants, refineries, and oil depots.
On Saturday night and early Sunday, oil depots in southern Tehran - including the Aghdasieh depot in the east and the Shahran depot in the west - as well as the Fardis oil depot in Karaj were bombed.
On Sunday evening, the fuel depot at the airport on Qeshm Island was also struck, and on Saturday night and Sunday morning, oil depots in southern Tehran, the Aghdasieh oil depot in the east, the Shahran depot in the west, and the Fardis oil depot in Karaj were bombed.