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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