Iran claims it will launch the "most intense offensive"! Bitcoin surges, nearly 160,000 traders liquidated!

Escalation of the situation.

According to CCTV News, the main station reporter learned on March 1 local time that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the “most intense offensive operation” is about to begin, targeting Israeli and U.S. bases.

Xinhua News Agency quoted Iranian media reports on the 1st, stating that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement regarding the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, vowing to “severely punish the killers.”

The statement said: “We have lost a great leader, and we mourn him deeply.”

It also said that the Iranian people will “punish the killers with unparalleled severity, decisiveness, and pain.” Iran will “resolutely combat domestic and foreign conspiracies and punish aggressors.”

Earlier, according to Iranian media, Khamenei was killed in an attack on the morning of February 28. Subsequently, Iran announced a 40-day national mourning starting from March 1 local time.

Multiple Iranian media confirmed on the 1st that Khamenei “died in the line of duty at the leader’s office.”

Iranian media said that at the time, Khamenei was fulfilling his duties. The attack on Khamenei by Israel and the U.S. occurred earlier on February 28.

Previously, some media outlets associated with Israel repeatedly claimed that Khamenei had been living in a secret secure location due to “fear of assassination.” Iranian media stated, “He died in the line of duty, which proves these claims are pure lies and part of enemy psychological warfare.”

Iranian media also quoted Khamenei’s words before his death: “When people are under shellfire, why should my family and I hide in shelters?”

According to two U.S. sources and one U.S. official familiar with the matter, on February 28 local time, Israel and the U.S. chose to launch an attack on Iran on Saturday, coinciding with a meeting between Khamenei and his senior aides.

Israel claims that Khamenei and his senior aides, including Iran’s Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamhani and IRGC Commander Mohammad Pakpour, were killed in the airstrike. Two Iranian sources said that shortly before the airstrike began, Khamenei met with Shamhani and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, at a secure location on Saturday.

Earlier, an Israeli senior official said that Khamenei’s body had been recovered. U.S. President Trump posted on his “Truth Social” platform that intelligence agencies tracked the whereabouts of Iran’s top leader and then killed him.

Additionally, CBS News on February 28 cited two anonymous U.S. officials, reporting that about 40 Iranian officials, including Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and IRGC Commander Mohammad Pakpour, died in the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran.

The report suggests these officials are believed to include Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and IRGC Commander Mohammad Pakpour. It is unclear whether they were attacked at the same or different locations.

In the market, cryptocurrencies surged across the board. At the time of writing, Bitcoin rose over 2%, and Ethereum increased over 5%.

In the past 24 hours, nearly 160,000 people worldwide have been liquidated in the crypto market, with a total liquidation amount of $647 million.

Additionally, the Kuwait Stock Exchange announced a suspension of trading on March 1.

(Source: Securities Times)