Iran Confirms Death of Supreme Leader as Military Strikes Continue

Iran has confirmed the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following large-scale strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Saturday.

State media announced on Sunday that the 86-year-old leader was killed in the attack. Initial reports denying his death were later withdrawn. According to the state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Khamenei died alongside his daughter, son-in-law and grandson.

“The Supreme Leader of Iran has reached martyrdom,” IRIB said in a televised statement. The state-affiliated Mehr News Agency described him as a religious scholar who “sacrificed his life” for the country.

Authorities declared 40 days of national mourning.

Khamenei had led Iran since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who returned from exile to lead the 1979 revolution that overthrew the US-backed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. As Supreme Leader, Khamenei held final authority over Iran’s government, armed forces and judiciary, and served as the country’s highest religious authority.

His tenure was defined by prolonged tensions with Western governments, wide-ranging sanctions and recurring domestic protests over economic conditions and civil rights. He frequently described the United States as Iran’s principal adversary.

Central to his political control was the loyalty of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary force, both influential in national security and internal enforcement.

Khamenei maintained that Iran’s nuclear programme was for civilian use and denied any pursuit of nuclear weapons. While Israel and some members of the Trump administration questioned those claims, US intelligence assessments and the UN nuclear watchdog have not publicly concluded that Tehran was building an atomic weapon.

In recent months, Israeli officials openly discussed the possibility of targeting him. Defence Minister Israel Katz said in June that Khamenei “cannot continue to exist.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that eliminating him had not been ruled out.

President Donald Trump also issued warnings. In an interview with ABC News earlier this month, Trump said the Iranian leader should be “very worried” as US forces increased their presence in the region. He previously described Khamenei as an “easy target,” though said at the time that the United States would not act against him “for now.”

Following the latest strikes, Trump pledged further military action against Iran’s naval and missile infrastructure and urged Iranians to replace their government.