US-Israel missile strike hits building of group behind electing Iran’s new supreme leader

Israeli and US strikes have demolished the building of a body tasked with electing Iran’s new supreme leader, local media reported.

The assembly, tasked with appointing and supervising the supreme leader of Iran, was meeting in a building which was severely damaged in strikes in Qom, Iran.

It comes days after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during a wave of US-Israeli attacks.

‘The American-Zionist criminals attacked the Assembly of Experts building in Qom,’ the Tasnim news agency reported.

It’s unclear if there have been any casualties.

There are also differing reports as to whether the building was still being used for meetings of the assembly, with Mehr news agency claiming the building wasn’t in use.

Tasnim reported that strikes had already targeted the main headquarters of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran on Monday.

Iran declared on Sunday the start of a transition process after confirming Khamenei’s death.

The plans include the formation of an interim leadership council, including the president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council, the body that oversees legislation and vets electoral candidates.

Also playing a central role is Iran’s top security chief, Ali Larijani.

The interim leadership council will lead the country while a permanent successor is found for the supreme leader.

Iran expanded its targets today, striking the US embassy in Saudi Arabia as Washington began to pull staff out of the Middle East.

The US and Israel battered Iran with air strikes in what US President Donald Trump suggested was just the start of a war that has severely disrupted the world’s supply of oil and gas, international shipping, and air travel.

The conflict escalated further on its fourth day, with Israel sending new ground troops into Lebanon and explosions ringing out in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Hundreds of people have been killed, the vast majority in Iran. The spiralling nature of the war raised questions about when and how it would end.

Trump said it could last four to five weeks – but that the US was prepared to go longer.

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