The United States of America and the Israeli forces have reportedly carried out fresh airstrikes on a key Iranian institution involved in the selection of the country’s next Supreme Leader.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, the strikes targeted the Assembly of Experts building in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday.
“The American-Zionist criminals attacked the Assembly of Experts building in Qom,” Tasnim reported, describing the incident as a direct assault on a constitutional body responsible for choosing Iran’s highest authority.
The Assembly of Experts plays a critical role in Iran’s political system. It is mandated to appoint, supervise and, if necessary, dismiss the Supreme Leader. The attack comes amid a tense transition period following the reported death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Saturday.
An Israeli official, speaking to Fox News, claimed the operation coincided with internal proceedings related to the leadership succession.
“Israel struck while they were counting the votes for the appointment of the supreme leader,” the senior Israeli official said.
Footage aired by local Iranian outlets showed extensive structural damage to the building in Qom. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties, according to AFP.
Iran’s Mehr news agency indicated that the Qom facility was not actively being used for meetings at the time of the strike. Tasnim further reported that the Assembly’s main headquarters in Tehran had also been hit a day earlier.
The leadership transition process reportedly began on Sunday, shortly after Khamenei’s death. Under Iran’s constitutional framework, an interim leadership council is to steer the country during the selection of a permanent successor.
The council is expected to comprise the president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist drawn from the Guardian Council — the powerful body responsible for overseeing legislation and vetting electoral candidates.
Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, is also said to be playing a significant role in the transition, emerging as a central powerbroker during the unfolding political shift.
The interim council will remain in place until a new Supreme Leader is formally appointed, as authorities navigate what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential transitions in the Islamic Republic’s history.
