U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed, marking a dramatic and escalating chapter in the already volatile Middle East conflict.
Trump made the claim on social media and in interviews, asserting that the long-time Iranian ruler was killed during a coordinated U.S. and Israeli military assault on Iran that began early Saturday morning.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, hailing the reported death as “justice for the people of Iran,” Americans, and others affected by what he described as decades of violence under the Iranian regime.
He also urged ordinary Iranians to rise up and “take back your country” in the wake of the strikes.
Israeli officials had earlier indicated there were “many signs” that the supreme leader had been killed when forces struck his compound in Tehran as part of a sweeping aerial campaign described by some analysts as one of the most comprehensive assaults on Iranian military and government infrastructure in decades.
However, official confirmation from Tehran has not been forthcoming.
Iranian state media and government spokespeople issued statements dismissing reports of Khamenei’s death, describing them as psychological warfare and propaganda and insisting he remains “safe and sound.” No independent video or audio evidence of the leader has emerged in the hours since the initial assaults.
The strikes reportedly targeted the Iranian leadership’s headquarters as well as key military and strategic sites across multiple provinces. Retaliatory actions by Iran have already been reported, with missile and drone attacks launched at Israel, U.S. military bases, and allied positions in the region, further raising fears of a broader escalation.
At 86, Khamenei had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989 and wielded near-absolute control over the Islamic Republic’s political and military apparatus.
His death, if confirmed, would leave a significant leadership vacuum in Tehran and could reshape regional geopolitics, triggering uncertainty both inside Iran and across the Middle East.
The situation remains fluid, with global leaders calling for urgent diplomatic engagement to prevent further escalation, while military operations continue and world markets react to fears of deeper conflict in the oil-rich region.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is presumed dead after a massive U.S. and Israeli military operation Saturday.
CBS News quoted multiple Israeli official sources and a senior U.S. intelligence official as saying the Supreme Leader was affected by the strikes launched on Tehran.
But Abbas Araghch, Iran’s Foreign Minister, told NBC News that the Supreme Leader “is alive as far as I know”.
Howewer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there are “growing signs” that Khamenei is “gone” after the mission.
An Israeli broadcaster said Saturday that Netanyahu had been shown a photo of Khamenei’s body.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a press conference Saturday that seven Iranian officials and commanders were killed, including Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei.
Khamenei, 86, had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, succeeding the leader of Iran’s 1979 revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khamenei controlled all branches of the government and the military and was considered the spiritual leader.
