Iran raises red flag over Jamkaran Mosque after Khamenei's killing: What does it mean?

Tension has gripped Iran after the death of its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, in US and Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic.

Some Iranians grieved while others celebrated the death of Khamenei, exposing a deep fault line in a country stunned by the sudden demise of the ⁠man who ruled for 36 years. Iranian state TV announced his death in the early hours of Sunday, the voice of the ⁠broadcaster breaking with emotion as he confirmed Khamenei had been killed in the US-Israeli ‌attack on Saturday. Footage from Tehran showed mourners packed ​into a square, dressed in black and many of them weeping.

At the same time, a red flag was hoisted atop the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom city of Iran, located 140 km south of Tehran. The red "flag of revenge" reportedly indicates retaliation from the Iranian regime.

What does the red flag mean?

According to several media reports, in Shia Islam the red flag symbolises the blood of martyrs and is frequently raised in Iran. It is often unfurled above mosques or brandished at religious processions, particularly during the Islamic month of Muharram.

Recently, the flag was hoisted above the Jamkaran Mosque after the killing of general Qasem Soleimani in US airstrike. According to The Sunday Guardian, the flag is closely linked to the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in 680 AD at Karbala.

In an X post on Monday, Ali Larijani, who was adviser to Iran's Khamenei, said his country would not negotiate with Trump. He said ⁠the U.S. president had "delusional ambitions" and was now worried about U.S. casualties.

Who will choose Khamenei's successor?

The constitution says a new ​leader must be chosen within three months. Until then President Masoud ⁠Pezeshkian, Guardians Council member Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and Judiciary chief Ayatollah Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei will take charge as a temporary leadership council.

Choosing a new leader is meant to be the responsibility of the Assembly of Experts, a body of around 90 senior clerics who are elected every eight years, though with strikes continuing it is not clear how or when they will be able to meet.

Khamenei never publicly named a preferred successor and in practice the decision will likely be made by the most senior figures in the Islamic Republic who have ⁠wielded power under Khamenei for many ‌years. The recommended successor would then have to be approved by the assembly.

The most important of those senior figures is Khamenei's veteran adviser Ali Larijani, widely seen as Iran's foremost powerbroker.

(With Reuters inputs)