Tehran — Iran has been hurled into unprecedented chaos after a powerful blast ripped through a secretive clerical compound where top ayatollahs were reportedly counting votes for the next Supreme Leader, killing or injuring key regime power-brokers in a single stroke.

State TV initially blamed a “gas explosion,” but multiple security sources say the site was a heavily guarded meeting of the Assembly of Experts and senior Revolutionary Guard envoys, gathered to decide who would replace the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Within minutes of the blast, IRGC units sealed off central Tehran, cut mobile data in several districts and moved armored vehicles toward government buildings.

No one has claimed responsibility. Hardline commentators accuse the United States and Israel of a “decapitation strike on the Revolution,” while reformist voices whisper about an inside job — a factional bomb aimed at hijacking succession before the vote was finalized. The regime, built on the myth of clerical unity, suddenly looks fractured, frightened and unsure who is truly in charge.

On the streets, confusion is turning to anger. Some mourners chant for revenge on foreign enemies; others, especially young Iranians, are openly asking why a system that cannot even protect its own top mullahs should keep ruling their lives.

Analysts warn that tonight’s bombing is more than an attack on a roomful of old men; it is a direct hit on the core of Iran’s theocracy. What emerges next — a hardline junta, a reformist opening, or violent fragmentation — will shape not only Iran’s future, but the stability of the entire Middle East.