IRAN: Iranian state media and the Supreme National Security Council have announced that Ali Khamenei was killed early Saturday morning in a joint United States–Israeli airstrike targeting his office in Tehran.
According to state television, a 40-day national mourning period has been declared across Iran, along with seven days of public holidays. Officials said the strike hit the Leadership House compound in the Iranian capital, causing extensive damage.
The British broadcaster BBC News reported that satellite imagery had earlier confirmed severe destruction at the compound. Media outlets affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that Khamenei was killed inside his office, dismissing earlier reports that he had gone into hiding as “enemy psychological warfare.”
US President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that Khamenei was “one of the worst people in history” and described his death as “justice for the Iranian people and for those around the world who suffered under his rule.” Trump added that US bombing operations against Iran would continue, claiming that explosions were still being heard in Tehran.
Iran’s Fars News Agency claimed that Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and a daughter-in-law were also killed in the strike.
According to CBS News, citing US sources, nearly 40 Iranian officials were killed in the joint attacks, including a senior IRGC corps commander and Iran’s defense minister. Iranian authorities have not formally confirmed those claims.
Iran’s Red Crescent reported that more than 200 people have been killed in US–Israeli strikes across the country. In the southern city of Minab, officials said 108 people were killed in an attack on a girls’ school, the majority of them students.
Following Khamenei’s reported death, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against US military bases and allied targets in the Middle East, including locations in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, and Kuwait, significantly escalating tensions across the region.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the United Kingdom is participating in “coordinated defensive actions” in the region to protect its citizens and partners.
The United Nations warned that the escalation poses a serious threat to regional and global peace. Meanwhile, sharp divisions have reportedly emerged within the US Congress over the legality and consequences of the military operation.
