Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the interim council to lead the country has 'begun its work' following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, stressing that Tehran will continue to strike forcefully to 'destroy the enemy's military bases, and we will drive them toward despair as usual.'

The Leadership Council is a body tasked with performing the role of the Supreme Leader until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader.

In a brief speech broadcast by the Fars News Agency, Pezeshkian added that the pain of the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday, will resonate in the minds of the Iranian people for a long time.

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He continued, saying: 'We are steadfast on the path of pride, independence, and glory for our beloved Iran,' noting that 'peoples must move to confront the American-Zionist expansion that will target all Islamic countries after targeting Iran.'

He mentioned that 'the Iranian armed forces are striking enemy bases with full force.'

The Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported that cleric Ali Reza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as a member of the Iranian Leadership Council.

Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council, will be part of the interim Leadership Council alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Head of the Judiciary Gholam Hossein Mohseni Eje'i.

Earlier on Sunday, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said that the formation of an interim leadership council would take place soon, paving the way for the selection of a new leader, after Tehran earlier announced the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Israeli-US attacks on Iran.

Larijani added in an interview with Iranian television: 'An interim leadership council will soon be formed until the next Supreme Leader is elected,' noting that the United States and Israel 'have burned the hearts of the Iranian people' after assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and vowed to 'burn their hearts in return.'