BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 6. The 4th meeting of
the Interim Leadership Council, which includes Iranian President
Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief of the Judiciary Gholam-Hossein
Mohseni-Ejei, and Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, representative of the
Guardian Council of the Constitution, was held amid the ongoing
military campaign by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, Trend reports.
According to information, during the meeting, Secretary of the
Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani reported on the
current situation in the conflict with Israel and the U.S. In
addition, the members of the council planned to form the Council of
Experts of the Islamic Republic and present the country's future
leader.
The Iranian Council of Experts is responsible for electing the
Supreme Leader.
This escalation followed the 3rd round of nuclear talks between
Iran and the United States, held in Geneva on February 26, 2026.
Conducted under the administration of President Donald Trump, the
negotiations were perceived as a final opportunity for a diplomatic
resolution; however, no agreements were reached.
Two days later, on February 28, the U.S. and Israel initiated a
coordinated military campaign targeting Iran's strategic military
assets and government leadership. Israel referred to the operation
as "Operation Lion's Roar," while the U.S. labeled it "Operation
Epic Fury." The attacks affected vast regions of Iran, including
major cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Qom.
In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drone
strikes on February 28 and the following days, targeting Israeli
and U.S. military bases across the region, including facilities in
Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iraq.
In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by
Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly
resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei
and several members of his family.
Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and
security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief
of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme
Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and
Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
On March 1-5, the conflict escalated to encompass various
countries in the Middle East; Iran launched hundreds of missiles
and drones, and the U.S. and Israel struck new military targets in
Iranian territory.
On March 4, a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine torpedoed the Iranian
frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, signaling that the conflict
had entered a naval phase.
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