Tehran

Ali Larijani, a key behind-the-scenes figure in Iran, was killed in an IDF strike, leaving a major gap in the regime's leadership amid growing instability.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had held his first foreign policy session since being named supreme leader, and had taken a stance for revenge against the US and Israel that was “very tough and serious.”

Jordan’s carefully balanced neutrality has been expressed through both its diplomatic statements and through its actions, said Ofir Winter, a senior researcher at the INSS, Tel Aviv University.

Iran lost the first round badly. Its nuclear sites are rubble. Its air defenses are gone. The Revolutionary Guards have taken casualties they won't acknowledge for months.

Larijani, the son of a Shia jurisprudence scholar, held several senior roles within the Islamic Republic during his career, most recently as the Supreme National Security Council Secretary.

Iran's sports minister said last week the Iranian players couldn't participate in the tournament after the US launched airstrikes alongside Israel against Tehran, killing Khamenei.

The US military's Central Command said the vast majority of those wounded had suffered minor injuries and 180 troops had already returned to duty. Ten of the injuries are serious, it said.

Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani and deputy also killed in IDF strikes, officials say 'majority of the Basij leadership was eliminated overnight' • Netanyahu: Larijani was 'boss' of regime

Pre-war intelligence assessments did not say that Iran’s response was "a guarantee, but it certainly was on the list of potential outcomes," said one source.

"There is a wide feeling across the Gulf that Iran has crossed every red line with every Gulf country,” said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the Saudi-based Gulf Research Center.