Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has been killed in what Iranian state media describe as a joint United States–Israeli airstrike, marking a seismic moment in Middle East geopolitics and pushing the region to the brink of wider war.
The announcement, carried early Sunday by state-affiliated outlets including Tasnim News Agency, Mehr News Agency and Press TV, said the 85-year-old cleric was “martyred” while at his workplace during what was described as a “cowardly attack.”
According to RT, an official statement blamed “criminal America and the Zionist regime” for the strike, rejecting earlier speculation that Khamenei had been moved to a secure location.
Tehran has since declared 40 days of national mourning, a powerful symbolic gesture in the Islamic Republic that signals both grief and defiance.
Trump and Netanyahu React
Before Tehran’s confirmation, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “many signs” that the Iranian leader “is no more,” adding that his compound had been hit in a “powerful surprise attack.” He warned that “thousands of targets” inside Iran could be struck in the coming days and urged Iranians to rise against their leadership.
From Confusion to Confirmation
In the hours before the announcement, conflicting reports had clouded Khamenei’s fate. Iranian agencies initially insisted he was “steadfast and firm in commanding the field,” while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that senior officials were largely “safe and sound.”
The confirmation now leaves Iran facing an unprecedented leadership vacuum at a time of direct confrontation with Washington and Tel Aviv.
Region on Edge
Washington and West Jerusalem reportedly described the operation as “preemptive,” targeting Iran’s leadership and strategic military infrastructure. Tehran has already launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israeli territory and US military installations across the region.
Russia swiftly condemned the operation, calling it an act of aggression aimed at toppling a government unwilling to submit to Western pressure.
Khamenei’s death, if fully consolidated within Iran’s power structure, represents the most consequential political shock to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution and could reshape the balance of power across the Middle East for years to come.
