Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Confirmed Dead in US-Israeli Airstrikes, Iran State TV Reports

Iran Confirms : Iranian state media has officially declared that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, was assassinated in a joint military operation by the US and Israel. The confirmation by prominent Iranian news sites such as Tasnim News Agency and Fars News Agency follows previous claims made by US President Donald Trump, who proclaimed the killing on his social media platform hours after the strikes targeted Tehran and other strategic locations across the Islamic Republic.

Following reports of his death, a post on Khamenei’s X account said, “In the name of Allah, the Merciful. Among the believers are men who keep their promises to Allah, those who love him, and those who wait without changing anything in exchange. In the name of Allah, Most Gracious and Most Merciful. Among the believers are men who have kept their promises to Allah; among them are those who have completed their vows and those who are waiting, and they have not changed in the least.”

Trump announced Khamenei’s death.

Earlier, Trump resorted to Truth Social to claim that Khamenei had been killed during the military operation.

Trump referred to Khamenei as one of the “most evil people” in global history, claiming that the assassination was more than just punishment for the Iranian people. “This is not only Justice for the people of Iran,” the tweet continued, “but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”

The United States and Israel attack Iran.

The operations, which were carried out in conjunction by US and Israeli forces, targeted various locations associated with Iran’s political and military leadership. The impact of the attack and the larger military campaign is still emerging, with global attention now turning to anticipated repercussions from Tehran’s allies and the wider Middle East.

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Who exactly was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was Iran’s Supreme Leader from 1989 until his death on February 28, 2026, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in the Middle East. He came into power at the age of 50 and was the country’s most prominent political and religious figure for nearly four decades.

Khamenei was born in Mashhad, a city in northeastern Iran, in July 1939. He grew up in a profoundly religious family and attended theological school. As a young priest, he became an outspoken critic of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s US-backed ruler, and was arrested several times for his political involvement.

Khamenei was a close colleague of Ruhollah Khomeini, the cleric who spearheaded the revolution and became Iran’s first Supreme Leader. Khamenei was designated as Khomeini’s successor after his death in 1989. Before becoming Supreme Leader, he was Iran’s president, gathering political expertise that would shape his long rule.Throughout his reign, Khamenei cemented power over Iran’s political, military, and judicial branches.