Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint US-Israel airstrike launched on the Islamic Republic early on Saturday, an attack that has dramatically escalated the conflict across the Middle East.
In retaliation, Iran continued firing missiles and drones at Israel and US bases in West Asia.
Iranian state media confirmed the death of the 86-year-old leader hours after US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US-Israeli strikes had killed him.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump branded Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in history,” while Iranian state media termed his death a martyrdom.
“The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint attack by the criminal America and the Zionist regime,” an official Iranian statement said.
“At the moment of the martyrdom, he was carrying out his assigned duties and was present at his workplace when this cowardly attack occurred,” it added, rejecting claims by the “Zionist regime” that Khamenei had been hiding in a secure location.
President Masoud Pezeshkian’s office announced a 40-day period of public mourning for the leader who had run the Islamic Republic for more than three decades.
“This great crime will never go unanswered and will mark a new chapter in the history of the Islamic and Shiite world,” the president’s office said, hinting at a major escalation of the conflict.
“With full force and strength… we will make the perpetrators and commanders of this great crime regret their actions,” the statement added.
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Khamenei’s compound was struck in a “powerful surprise attack,” vowing that “thousands of targets” in the Iranian leadership would be killed in the coming days.
He also called on Iranians to take to the streets and overthrow the government.
Meanwhile, President Trump said his forces would continue with “heavy bombing” throughout the week.
Local media outlets reported that more than 200 people were killed in the attacks, which were carried out in multiple locations across Iran. One strike, which hit a girls’ school, reportedly left at least 140 students dead.
Broadcaster CNN reported that Iran was striking back with fresh waves of attacks across the region following the Supreme Leader’s killing, targeting Israel and US military bases in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict has severely disrupted commercial passenger flights, stranding tens of thousands of passengers at various destinations, and has also impacted oil shipments.
In Tehran, which was rocked by anti-government demonstrations a few months ago, there were street celebrations following reports of Khamenei’s death. Across the US, people also took to the streets, with some celebrating and others protesting the strikes on Iran.
