EU says Khamenei's killing brings both hope and peril

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Top EU officials said Sunday the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes could spell "hope" for the country -- but carried a serious risk of regional instability.

European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas described Khamenei's death as "a defining moment in Iran's history", while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it spurred "renewed hope for the people of Iran".

"At the same time, this moment carries a real risk of instability that could push the region into a spiral of violence," von der Leyen added.

Von der Leyen said Brussels was engaging closely "with all key actors" to safeguard stability and security and to protect civilian lives.

"With Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape," she wrote on social media, after a call with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Likewise, Kallas said she was in contact with regional partners "that bear the brunt of Iran's military actions" to find practical steps for de-escalation.

"What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape," Kallas wrote on X.