Ghalibaf says Iran rushed Khamenei death announcement

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said authorities moved up the announcement of Ali Khamenei’s death after “overseas media” reported it, fearing the streets in Iran could “take a completely different turn,” according to Iran International.

Ghalibaf said officials had initially decided to wait until 8 a.m. the following morning to announce Khamenei’s death alongside the formation of a new Leadership Council. He said that plan changed after broadcasts outside Iran reported the news overnight.

“At 12:30 at night, the television channels abroad announced the martyrdom,” Ghalibaf said. He said he and Ali Larijani re-established contact around 1 a.m. and decided the original plan could no longer stand.

Ghalibaf said officials decided to announce the death around dawn, when people were eating their pre-dawn Ramadan meal, and simultaneously called supporters onto the streets. “We decided that we absolutely had to announce it at dawn, when people were at the suhoor table, and at the same time say: whether you’ve eaten or not, everyone come out into the streets,” he said.

“Otherwise, believe me, the situation in the streets could have taken a completely different turn,” Ghalibaf said. He described the street as one of four fronts authorities had to manage: “The military front is one front, diplomacy is one front, services are another, and the street is also a front,” he said.