India, March 1 -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday vowed sweeping retaliation against the United States and Israel after state television confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hours after US President Donald Trump announced that American forces had killed the 86-year-old cleric, media reports said.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Guards warned that "the most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces will begin any moment now," threatening strikes on what it described as "occupied territories and American terrorist bases" across the region.

Unlike Iran's conventional military, which operates under the Defence Ministry, the IRGC answ...