Currently, US’s Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, scores of naval ships and military aircraft, including F-35 multirole stealth fighters are stationed in the Middle East. The Ford Carrier Strike Group, the US’s most advanced aircraft carrier group, is also headed towards the theatre of conflict.

Who is leading Iran?

Ayatollah Arafi, a close associate of Khamenei, has been named to lead Iran temporarily. A seasoned cleric, Arafi currently serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the body that appoints the Supreme Leader.

He has also been a member of the influential Guardian Council, the body responsible for vetting election candidates and reviewing legislation passed by parliament. Tehran has a long list of hardliners to replace its ‘martyred’ leaders in an establishment that has crystallised for nearly five decades.

According to an NYT report, Ali Larijani, the country’s top national security official and a former IRGC commander, has been effectively running the country.

Larijani had emerged as Khamenei’s most closest adviser and was entrusted with crushing the anti-regime uprising in January, the largest since the Islamic Republic’s founding.

Before his passing, Khamenei had already named four layers of succession for military and government roles.

What did Donald Trump say?

US President Donald Trump had issued a statement earlier on similar lines, calling on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny.”

Trump has issued a new statement, warning Iran against hitting back: “Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever been 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!”

Islamic Republic launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes on Washington’s allies in the Middle East with several leaders in Tehran saying that US and Israel will face consequences for their actions.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, all of which house US military bases were targeted in the strikes, though most of the projectiles were intercepted.

Reza Pahlavi’s message

Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the deposed shah of Iran, vowed to protect Iran and the people in the country and urged citizens to exercise caution and remain in their homes. He also urged Trump to exercise the utmost caution to preserve the lives of civilians and my compatriots, adding that “people of Iran are your natural allies and those of the free world.”