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Key members of the OPEC+ oil cartel announced a greater-than-expected increase to production quotas on Sunday following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered retaliation by Tehran across the Middle East. The eight-strong V8 (Voluntary Eight) group in the alliance, which includes top oil producers Saudi Arabia and Russia — as well as several Gulf states bearing the brunt of Tehran’s missile strikes — said they had agreed a “production adjustment” of 206,000 barrels per day (bpd).”This adjustment will be implemented in April,” they said in a statement.The text did not mention the outbreak of the Iran conflict, instead citing “a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals” as their reasons for the increase.Before the weekend’s meeting, experts had forecast a more modest increase of 137,000 bpd. But Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad Energy, warned the agreed increase was potentially not large enough to prevent the Iran conflict causing a spike in oil prices when trading opens on Monday.Leon pointed to the possibility that Iran could target the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which around nearly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil supplies, in retaliation.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have contacted ships to announce the strait was closed. On Sunday, Iranian state TV said an oil tanker in the strait was struck while attempting to “illegally” pass through and was sinking, showing footage of a burning tanker at sea.”If oil cannot move through Hormuz, an extra 206,000 barrels per day does very little to ease the market,” Leon said, arguing that “logistics and transit risk matter more than production targets right now”.The OPEC+ move “is unlikely to calm markets”, he said.”Prices will respond to developments in the Gulf and the status of shipping flows, not to a relatively small increase in output.”- ‘Nightmare scenario’ -Besides Russia and Saudi Arabia, the V8 group within OPEC+ includes Kuwait, Oman, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, all of which were targeted by Iranian attacks for a second day on Sunday.Algeria and Kazakhstan are also part of the group.Another analyst, Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, said that, with the fear of incoming missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, insurers cancelling contracts for vessels wanting to go through there, and jammed electronic signalling in the Gulf region, commercial shippers were scared.They are “starting to act as if the route is compromised”, he said.”A full closure for more than a few days is the nightmare scenario,” he said.A blockage of the strait could mean oil prices leaping from around $72 before the war to $120 to $150 a barrel when trading starts on Monday, he said, based on industry estimates.He and other analysts pointed to land pipelines Saudi Arabia and the UAE could use to get around shipping through the strait, but noted that would still leave a shortfall of some eight million to 10 million bpd on the market.”Those are meaningful pressure valves, but they are not a replacement for the full seaborne flow,” Innes said.While higher prices might seem a boon for OPEC+ countries, it in fact carries the risk of increasing competition from producers outside the cartel, such as the United States, Canada and Brazil.Kpler analyst Homayoun Falakshahi told AFP that the cartel might “prefer prices of $80-90, but around $70 per barrel is the ideal price level” to cut the incentive for more investment by those rival producers.He added that Russian production has been on a downward trend since November, leaving analysts to think that it was at its maximum output.Leon, of Rystad Energy, said the only OPEC+ members “who can really boost their production are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and, to a lesser degree, Kuwait and Iraq”.

Iran’s clerical leaders vowed to avenge the death of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and launched a fresh wave of deadly “large-scale” attacks on Sunday as Israel hit back at the capital Tehran.It came after the United States and Israel claimed to have killed Khamenei in a wave of strikes Saturday against targets in Iran, which sparked swift retaliation by the Islamic republic.Here are the latest developments.- Iran kills 5 in Israel -Iran’s latest barrage of strikes killed at least five people in central Israel, police reported. The country’s emergency service had earlier warned of casualties in Beit Shemesh, with a young girl among them. News of the deaths came after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced a fresh wave of attacks against the “enemy”.In the UAE, which has been hard-hit by Iran’s retaliation the defence ministry said on Sunday that three people had died and 58 been wounded since the strikes began. – Iran denies targeting neighbours -Iran’s powerful security chief denied on Sunday that Tehran was targeting its neighbours in the region, insisting that its retaliation was aimed at US bases. Even so, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said on Sunday it summoned the Iranian ambassador “in response to Iran’s brazen attacks that targeted the Kingdom and a number of brotherly”.Gulf countries will convene Sunday evening to discuss a unified response to Iran’s attacks, two Gulf diplomats told AFP, though the meeting will be online “due to the airport closures”. – Sinking oil tanker -Iranian state television said Sunday that an oil tanker was sinking after it was struck while attempting to “illegally” pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have threatened to close. The closure of the strait, through which a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and a fifth of all liquified natural gas passes, could cause the price of crude to spike on the world markets. As the news of the sinking broke, eight OPEC+ states announced a greater-than-expected increase of 206,000 barrels a day to the cartel’s oil production quotas. The group, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia did not explicitly mention the outbreak of the Iran conflict but cited “a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals” as reasons for the increase.- ‘Shelter in place’ -The UK Foreign Office on Sunday urged British citizens in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE to “shelter in place”.The Foreign Office “now advises against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE,” it said on X in its latest update. Britain’s defence secretary John Healey meanwhile said Iran’s “indiscriminate retaliatory attacks” included “two ballistic missiles fired in the direction of Cyprus”, although they were likely not targeting the Mediterranean island. – Israel hits Tehran -The Israeli army announced Sunday it was again launching “large-scale” strikes targeting the “heart of Tehran”. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz also hailed Khamenei’s killing as a “turning point in the war”.”He led the campaign of destruction against the State of Israel, he built the entire axis of evil around us, and within Iran itself he pursued an uncompromising line against the State of Israel,” Katz said during a security assessment along with top military and security officials, according to a statement by his office.- Ayatollah tapped for council -Ayatollah Alireza Arafi was named to an interim leadership council, which includes the president and head of the judiciary, to be at the helm of the country until a new permanent leader is selected. – Iran retaliates -Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said the killing of Khamenei was a “declaration of war against Muslims” on Sunday, vowing vengeance. Iranian security chief Ali Larijani then promised to hit the US and Israel with a force never seen before.Earlier, Iran’s army said it targeted on Sunday US bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and in the Gulf in response to the attack launched by the US and Israel.Air raid sirens sounded and explosions were heard over Jerusalem on Sunday after the Israeli military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran towards Israel. AFP correspondents heard blasts in Dubai, east of the Saudi capital Riyadh, across Bahrain’s capital Manama and Qatar, where thick black smoke was also seen rising on the horizon south of Doha. A top Emirati official warned Iran on Sunday that “your war is not with your neighbours” and that retaliation against Gulf states was a “miscalculation”.- US intercepts drones in Iraq – US defence systems intercepted at least two drones on Sunday over the city of Erbil in northern Iraq, as sirens sounded from the American consulate, an AFP journalist reported.US officials also warned citizens in Bahrain to avoid hotels in the capital Manama while staff at the US embassy to Jordan were told to avoid the embassy compound, citing risks of attacks. – Deadly protests erupt -Crowds gathered on Sunday in Iran’s south to call for vengeance following the killing of Khamenei in US and Israeli attacks, Iranian media reported. Similar gatherings took place elsewhere in Iran including in Tehran and the central city of Yazd. Hundreds of protesters in Iraq, which officially declared three days of mourning for Khamenei, also tried to storm the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, where the US embassy is located.In Pakistan, nine people were killed as hundreds of protesters tried to storm the US consulate in the megacity of Karachi, the local rescue service said.Several thousand Shia Muslims joined demonstrations in Indian-administered Kashmir, many chanting anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.- Evacuations -Thailand is readying to evacuate its citizens from the Middle East by military or charter flights, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Sunday.- More deaths announced -Iran’s police intelligence chief Gholamreza Rezaian was killed during US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, Iranian media reported Sunday.Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed along with other senior generals in US and Israeli strikes on the country, state TV reported on Sunday.State TV listed the name of Mousavi along with defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and others.- Iran leader killed -Iranian state television reported Khamenei’s death in the early hours of Sunday, broadcasting archive images with a black banner.Iranian media also reported the deaths of his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.”Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump had said hours earlier on his Truth Social platform.”Heavy and pinpoint bombing… will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote.- Guards chief killed -Iran’s judiciary confirmed Sunday that the chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, and another top security adviser, Ali Shamkhani, were also “martyred” in the strikes.- UN nuclear agency to meet -The United Nations’ nuclear agency will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday.In a statement late on Saturday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the meeting was at the request of Russia, a key ally of Tehran. burs-st-giv-sbk/giv

Afghanistan said on Sunday that the war in neighbouring Iran would negatively impact the whole region and expressed “deep regret” over the violence flaring in multiple countries.The Iranian flag was lowered to half-mast at the country’s embassy in Kabul, an AFP journalist said, and a black cloth hung over the entrance following the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli attack.”The recent political and security developments in the region have created unprecedented tensions that will have long-term negative effects on the entire region,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi wrote on X.”The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan expresses its deep regret over the attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, and expanded by Iran to target the Gulf countries,” he added.Balkhi condemned “the killing of innocent civilians” and called for diplomacy “preventing further escalation of the conflict”.Iran shares a more than 900-kilometre (560-mile) border with Afghanistan and the countries have considerable economic ties.At the Islam Qala border crossing on Sunday, an AFP journalist said it remained open and a black flag had replaced the Iranian standard.strs-qb/rsc/mjw

Iran launched strikes across the Gulf on Sunday after vowing to avenge slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defying a threat from President Donald Trump to strike with unprecedented force.As crowds gathered in Tehran, with some grieving and others celebrating, explosions rang out and the Israeli military announced it was again striking targets in the heart of the capital.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced a fresh “large-scale” attack on Sunday, and blasts were heard in Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with Israeli rescue services reporting four people killed in the latest missile attack.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims” and warned: “Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.”Israel described Khamenei’s death as a “first step”, and military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani boasted that the joint operation “eliminated 40 senior commanders, including Khamenei, in one minute in two different locations over a thousand miles from Israel in broad daylight”.  In a social media post that adopted Trump’s style and rhetoric, Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, declared: “Today we will hit them with a force that they have never experienced before.”International reactions to conflict have been mixed, with Pope Leo XIV urging both sides to end “the spiral of violence”, while China condemned Khamenei’s killing as a “serious violation of Iran’s sovereignty”.France, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction at the death of “a bloodthirsty dictator who oppressed his people, degraded women, young people and minorities”. – Unprecedented force threat -Blasts were heard in northern Tehran and smoke was seen emanating from a building, an AFP journalist reported. It was not immediately clear what the target was.Earlier, cheers had been heard as some Iranians celebrated reports of the death of their longtime leader, but after state media confirmed his killing, pro-government demonstrations also formed, chanting “Death to America!”As crowds demanded revenge — and Iran’s army announced strikes targeting US bases in the Gulf and Iraqi Kurdistan — Trump threatened to unleash “force that has never been seen before” and urged Iran’s people to rise up and seize power.Iran’s first retaliatory strikes on Saturday had hit all the Gulf states apart from Oman, which had sought to mediate US-Iran talks. But on Sunday the country’s commercial port of Duqm was hit by two drones, injuring a foreign worker, the Oman News Agency said.Outrage at Saturday’s wave of US and Israeli strikes against Iran spilled over into neighbouring Iraq and Pakistan, where crowds attempted to storm US diplomatic missions.In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, at least nine people were killed by gunshot wounds during pro-Iran protests at the US consulate, according to a hospital record seen by AFP.Britain urged UK citizens in the Gulf region to “shelter in place”, and the US mission in Jordan urged citizens to stay away from the embassy, and in Bahrain told them to avoid hotels after one was damaged in a strike.  In Iran, the Red Crescent said strikes had left 201 people dead and injured hundreds more.Iran’s judiciary confirmed that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and General Mohammad Pakpour, the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, were among those killed.Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Middle East killed at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv Saturday.- Question on succession -Iran had already seen intense speculation on a successor to Khamenei, given his age of 86. Upon his death, many observers expected greater power for the Revolutionary Guards, which are deeply entrenched in the Iranian economy.On Sunday, Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi to join Pezeshkian on an interim leadership council to lead the country while a permanent successor is found for the supreme leader.Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late pro-Western shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution, said any successor within the system would be illegitimate.Hailing the demise of Khamenei, Pahlavi said: “With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile near Washington, has presented himself as a transitional figure to a secular democracy, but he does not enjoy support from across the opposition. burs-dc/smw/ser

Cheers in Tehran. Retaliation and mourning announced by Iran. Protests erupting in some parts of the Muslim world, celebrations in others.The world greeted with trepidation the news Sunday that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic one day earlier.- Music in Tehran -Iranians took to the streets cheering with joy, setting off fireworks and playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death, according to witnesses and video footage verified by AFP. The celebrations in Tehran began shortly after 11:00 pm (1930 GMT), even before Iranian state television had confirmed US President Donald Trump’s statement that Khamenei was dead, according to multiple witnesses and audio recordings. People were not, however, coming out en masse to celebrate, according to social media.Many Iranians were fearful after the deadly crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January. – Mourning in Tehran -The thousands who did gather in the centre of Iran’s capital were instead mourning Khamenei’s death, according to AFP journalists. The mourners, dressed mostly in black and some crying, chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel” in Enghelab (Revolution) Square, with many waving Iran’s flags and holding photos of Khamenei.Iranian state television announced a 40-day mourning period and seven public holidays. – ‘War on Muslims’ -Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday branded Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims” by Israel and the United States. “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime,” Pezeshkian said in a statement carried by state TV. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards vowed earlier on Sunday to punish Khamenei’s “murderers”.- ‘Cynical violation’ -Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key ally of Tehran, on Sunday slammed Khamenei’s killing as a “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law”.In a letter to Pezeshkian published by the Kremlin, Putin also expressed his “deepest condolences for the assassination”.- ‘Most evil’ -“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump said, announcing the killing on his Truth Social network late Saturday.The killing “is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country,” Trump said.- ‘Cruel tyrant’ -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also called for Iranians to “overthrow the regime” after Khamenei’s killing.”For more than three and a half decades, this cruel tyrant has spread terror across the world while oppressing his own people, while working tirelessly and without pause on a plan to destroy Israel,” he said in a televised statement.- ‘Dustbin of history’ -The son of Iran’s late shah on Saturday hailed the killing, saying the Islamic republic that replaced his pro-Western father was finished.”With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history,” Reza Pahlavi wrote on X.- ‘Guiding light’ -Iraqi leaders, including influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, on Sunday mourned Khamenei.”We extend our condolences to the Islamic world,” Al-Sadr said in a statement, declaring a three-day period of mourning.Government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that Khamenei was killed in “a blatant act of aggression”.- Deadly protests -At least nine people were killed as hundreds of pro-Iranian protesters tried to storm the United States consulate in the Pakistan megacity of Karachi on Sunday, according to a hospital toll seen by AFP.Hundreds of Iraqis also attempted Sunday to storm Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, where the US embassy is located, an AFP journalist reported.- ‘Few people will mourn’ -UK Defence Secretary John Healey said on Sunday that “few people will mourn” Khamenei, echoing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s view.”Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responsible for the regime’s ballistic missile and nuclear programme, support for armed proxies and its brutal acts of violence and intimidation against its own people,” Albanese told reporters.- ‘Free Iran’ -Jubilant Iranian-Americans on Saturday took to the streets from Boston to Los Angeles to cheer Khamenei’s death and voice hope for a brighter future for their homeland.In Los Angeles, home to a massive Iranian diaspora, singing and ululating marchers carried flags of shah-era Iran and posters bearing Trump’s image, with some wearing “Free Iran” shirts.- ‘Heinous’ attack -Iran’s ally Hamas on Sunday mourned Khamanei, saying he “provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause and our resistance”. “The US and the fascist occupation government bear full responsibility for this blatant aggression and heinous crime,” the Palestinian Islamist group said. Fellow Iran proxy Hezbollah likewise vowed to “undertake our duty of confronting the aggression” of Israel and the US, the Lebanese group’s chief Naim Qassem said in a statement.burs-sbk/st

The biggest disruption to global air transport since the Covid pandemic continued Sunday, with thousands of flights affected and busy Middle Eastern hubs including Dubai and Doha shuttered as Iran lashed out after US-Israeli strikes.Israel and Iran traded new attacks Sunday, after Tehran hit both the Dubai International Airport — the world’s busiest for international traffic — and Kuwait’s main airport during its retaliatory strikes one day earlier. Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had all announced at least partial closures of their skies Saturday after the US and Israel attacked Iran, bringing civilian air traffic over the Middle East to an abrupt halt. Notable airlines that cancelled services included Emirates, Etihad, Air France, British Airways, Air India, Turkish Airlines, and Lufthansa.Flight tracking site FlightAware said that more than 6,700 flights had been delayed and 1900 cancelled globally as of 1000 GMT Sunday, on top of thousands the day before.- Airspace closures -Iran swiftly closed its airspace as the strikes began “until further notice”, said the spokesman of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, quoted by the Tasnim news agency.Israel also closed its airspace to civilian flights, Transport Minister Miri Regev announced.Qatar’s civil aviation authority said it had temporarily closed the Gulf state’s airspace.Iraq shut down airspace, state media said. The United Arab Emirates said it was closing its skies “partially and temporarily”.Syria closed part of its airspace in the south along the border with Israel for 12 hours, the Civil Aviation Authority said.Jordan’s air force was conducting drills to “defend the kingdom’s skies”, its military said.Kuwait closed its airspace.- Middle East and North Africa airlines -Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad cancelled 38 percent and 30 percent of their flights respectively, Cirium said.Qatar Airways suspended all flights from Doha. It cancelled 41 percent of total flights, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.Syria Air, the country’s national carrier, cancelled all flights until further notice.Egypt’s national airline, EgyptAir, announced the suspension of its flights to cities across the Middle East, including Dubai, Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Baghdad among others. – European airlines -Russia’s air transport authority Rosaviatsia said all commercial flights to Israel and Iran were cancelled “until further notice”. Turkish Airlines cancelled flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan until March 2.Air France cancelled its Dubai, Riyadh, Beirut and Tel Aviv flights until Sunday, extending its earlier suspension. British Airways said it was not flying to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 4, and cancelled flights to the Jordanian capital Amman on Saturday.Swiss International Air Lines suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 7, and cancelled flights from Zurich to Dubai scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.Germany’s Lufthansa, which comprises Swiss and ITA Airways, cancelled its flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7. The airline group and its subsidiaries suspended flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until Sunday.- North America airlines -Delta Air Lines suspended New York–Tel Aviv flights until Sunday.American Airlines “temporarily suspended” Doha-Philadelphia flights.United flights to Tel Aviv are cancelled until Monday, and flights to Dubai until Sunday.Air Canada said it cancelled flights from Canada to Israel until March 8 and to Dubai until March 3.- Asia-Pacific airlines -India’s two largest private carriers IndiGo and Air India suspended flights to all destinations in the Middle East.Pakistan International Airlines, the flag carrier of the country that borders Iran, said it had suspended flights to the UAE, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait.Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific suspended flights to Dubai and Riyadh.Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia’s flag carrier, temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha “until further notice”, the company said in a statement Sunday.Singapore Airlines and Singapore’s Scoot cancelled six flight routes in the region until the end of Sunday, local media reported.Philippine Airlines flights from Manila to Doha, Riyadh to Manila, and Dubai to Manila were cancelled on Saturday, as well as one Doha-Manila flight on Sunday.Other major airlines including Australia’s Qantas and Japan’s All Nippon Airways did not announce any flight cancellations. – Africa airlines -Ethiopian Airlines cancelled its flights to Amman, Tel Aviv, Dammam, and Beirut. Kenya Airways has suspended its flights to Dubai and Sharjah until further notice. burs-sbk/st

Iranian top officials vowed Sunday to avenge their slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and declared a new wave of strikes on US bases in the Gulf, defying US President Donald Trump’s threat of an unprecedented escalation in force.As crowds gathered in Tehran, explosions rang out and the Israeli military announced that it was again striking targets in the heart of the city — as more blasts were heard in Jerusalem, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha and Manama.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims” and warned: “Iran considers it its legitimate duty and right to avenge the perpetrators and masterminds of this historic crime.”Ali Larijani, the powerful head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, declared: “The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors.”In a social media post that adopted Trump’s style and rhetoric, he warned: “YESTERDAY IRAN FIRED MISSILES AT THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL, AND THEY DID HURT. TODAY WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE.”Meanwhile, blasts were heard in northern Tehran and smoke was seen emanating from a building, an AFP journalist reported. It was not immediately clear what the target was.- Unprecedented force threat -Earlier, cheers had been heard as some Iranians celebrated early reports of the death of their longtime leader, but — after state media confirmed his killing — pro-government demonstrations also formed, chanting “Death to America!”.As crowds demanded revenge — and Iran’s army announced strikes targeting US bases in the Gulf and Iraqi Kurdistan — Trump threatened to unleash “force that has never been seen before” and urged Iran’s people to rise up and seize power.Iran’s first retaliatory strikes on Saturday had hit all the Gulf states apart from Oman, which had sought to mediate US-Iran talks. But on Sunday the country’s commercial port of Duqm was hit by two drones, injuring a foreign worker, the Oman News Agency said, with a tanker off the sultanate’s coast also hit.Outrage at Saturday’s wave of US and Israeli strikes against Iran, which killed 86-year-old Khamanei and some other senior figures, spilled over into neighbouring Iraq and Pakistan, where crowds attempted to storm US diplomatic missions.In the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, at least eight people were killed during pro-Iran protests at the US consulate, according to Muhammad Amin, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation rescue service, who added that most had bullet wounds.In Iran, the Red Crescent said strikes had left 201 people dead and injured hundreds more.Iran’s judiciary confirmed that Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and the head of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, were both killed.Iran responded to the strikes with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East, killing at least two people in Abu Dhabi and another in Tel Aviv, before following up with a new wave after state media confirmed Khamenei’s death.- Question on succession -Iran had already seen intense speculation on a successor to Khamenei, given his age. Upon his death, many observers expected greater power for the Revolutionary Guards, which are deeply entrenched in the Iranian economy.Pezeshkian and two other top officials would lead Iran in the transitional period following Khamenei’s death, state television said Sunday.Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late pro-Western shah deposed in the 1979 Islamic revolution, said any successor within the system would be illegitimate.Hailing the demise of Khamenei, Pahlavi said: “With his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end and will soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.”Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile near Washington, has presented himself as a transitional figure to a secular democracy, but he does not enjoy support from across the opposition. The Iranian judiciary said one strike that hit a school in the south on Saturday killed 108 people, although AFP was unable to access the site to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.burs-dc/jsa