Iran has said the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, planned for Wednesday, has been postponed due to anticipation of an "unprecedented turnout", while the former ruler's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is expected to be named as his successor.
"The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. The new date will be announced later," Iranian television reported on Wednesday after Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.
Authorities had made preparations for a three-day funeral ceremony, which was due to commence on Wednesday evening.
The 86-year-old Ayatollah who was killed on Saturday in joint US-Israeli strikes will be laid to rest in a public ceremony, with citizens invited to pay their respects and mourn his passing, state media said.
The head of Iran’s Islamic Propagation Council, Hojjatoleslam Mahmoudi, announced that people will be able to pay their respects to the late leader at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Prayer Hall from 10pm local time (6:30pm GMT).
Despite repeated threats from Israeli officials that any successor to Khamenei will be a target for assassination, reports indicate that the late Ayatollah’s second-oldest son is the leading candidate for the role of supreme leader.
Iranian officials told US media that Mojtaba Khamenei, whose wife and mother were killed in the US-Israel attack, was selected as the primary candidate in two meetings of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, a group made up of 88 senior clerics. He has long been touted as inheriting the country's leadership from his father, although some Iran experts have discounted this in the past due to his lack of religious scholarly credentials and fears of projecting overt nepotism.
Local media in Iran also said the decision was made under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz made new threats against Iran on Wednesday, stating: "Any leader selected by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan for Israel's destruction, threatening the United States, the free world and countries in the region, and suppressing the Iranian people, will be a certain target for assassination, no matter his name or where he hides."
The developments come as an Israeli security official told media that Iran's Assembly of Experts building, where officials gather to elect the next Supreme Leader, was targeted.
An Israeli army spokesperson said security services "are still examining the results of the targeting of the council that met to select a successor to Khamenei", however, the official Iranian news agency said the targeted building was "old and marginal and was not used for holding meetings".
Israel also said it carried out a "broad wave of strikes" against government targets in Tehran, including the presidential office.
Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed it has asserted full control over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil and gas shipping route, prompting the Trump administration to mull providing armed escorts for tankers carrying oil and gas through the passageway. US President Donald Trump said the country’s navy will also move to protect ships in the Middle East "if necessary", in an effort to soften the consequences of the energy supply crunch, amid spikes in global oil and gas prices.
An Iranian ship targeted off Sri Lanka's coast in the latest round of assaults has also resulted in at least 140 people missing and 32 reported injured, reports on Wednesday said.
Sri Lanka said it has already rescued 32 sailors following a distress call issued at dawn.
Iran is still reeling from the US-Israel attacks, while investigators are examining the full extent of the devastation and killings reported across the country.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 1,097 civilians have been killed across Iran since the Israeli-US war began.
The country is also still mourning the 165 schoolgirls and staff killed in the attacks on Saturday, which have been condemned by international rights groups.