Tehran Confirms Death of Iran’s Supreme Leader After Airstrikes

State-run television in Iran confirmed on Sunday that the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in a coordinated military attack carried out by Israel and the United States.

Earlier reports from several Israeli media outlets and a statement by US President Donald Trump also claimed that Khamenei had been killed during the assault.

According to the official announcement, Ayatollah Khamenei — who had been one of the longest-serving leaders in the Middle East — died following the airstrikes targeting multiple locations across Iran, including the capital, Tehran.

Khamenei, who assumed the position of Supreme Leader in 1989 after serving as Iran’s president from 1981 to 1989, had ruled the country for nearly four decades, steering it through periods of regional conflict and international sanctions.

The joint US-Israeli military campaign on Saturday reportedly struck several strategic and military sites in Iran. The offensive caused extensive damage and civilian casualties, according to Iranian authorities.

In response, Iran launched a wave of retaliatory missile strikes targeting Israeli territory and US military installations across the Middle East, escalating fears of a wider regional war.

The attack and Khamenei’s confirmed death mark one of the most consequential moments in Iran’s modern history, raising questions over the nation’s political succession and future foreign policy direction.

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