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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989 and a central figure in the Islamic Republic’s confrontation with the West, has been killed in a sweeping US–Israeli military operation that extended into a second day on Sunday.
Iranian state television confirmed his death hours after US President Donald Trump announced the killing of the 86-year-old cleric, describing him as “one of the most evil people in History.”
The unprecedented assault, which Israeli officials said was aimed at dismantling the leadership of the Islamic Republic, also reportedly killed senior figures including Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Khamenei, and Revolutionary Guards commander General Mohammad Pakpour. Iranian media further reported that members of Khamenei’s family were among the dead.
Cheers were heard in parts of Tehran after initial reports of Khamenei’s death emerged, even as plumes of black smoke rose over districts associated with the leadership. The strikes came only weeks after Iranian authorities suppressed mass protests, with thousands reportedly killed in the crackdown.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed “severe, decisive” punishment for what they called the “murderers” of Khamenei, promising the “most ferocious” operation in history against Israel and US bases across the Gulf.
Retaliatory missile and drone strikes followed, killing at least one person in Tel Aviv and two in Abu Dhabi, as explosions reverberated across Gulf capitals.
Trump framed the offensive as an opportunity for political transformation, stating, “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” and urging Iranian security forces to stand down. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that message, telling Iranians: “This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future.”
The scale of the operation marks the most significant US military action aimed at toppling a foreign government since the 2003 Iraq invasion. Iranian authorities reported at least 201 people killed and more than 700 wounded, including 108 deaths in a strike on a southern school, though independent verification remains limited.
The killing of Khamenei, only the second supreme leader after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has triggered intense speculation over succession. Many analysts expect the Revolutionary Guards to consolidate greater power.
Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi declared that “with his death, the Islamic Republic has effectively come to an end,” though his vision for a secular transition lacks universal backing.
As Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz and shut down regional airspaces, the conflict has placed the Middle East on the brink of a wider confrontation with global economic consequences.
