Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in a major airstrike blamed on Israel and the United States (US), an event that has jolted the Islamic Republic and intensified fears of a wider regional conflict.
The death of the 86-year-old cleric was confirmed early on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced it on social media, describing the killing as Iran’s “greatest chance” to reclaim its future.
Iranian television reported that Khamenei died after his compound in central Tehran was hit in what it described as a targeted attack.
Satellite imagery released by Airbus appeared to show extensive damage to the site.
State TV said Khamenei was killed at his office, adding that his presence there symbolised leadership “at the forefront” against what officials routinely term foreign domination.
In Washington, reportedly Trump hailed the operation and warned that further “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue as part of a campaign he said was aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Tehran responded with threats of retaliation, warning that the attack would “never go unanswered.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated it was preparing its “most intense offensive operation” yet against Israeli and American interests.
It revealed Iran has already launched counterstrikes, raising the prospect of a cycle of escalation.
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Khamenei’s death is seen as a dramatic turn in US–Iran relations and leaves a great power vacuum at the top of the theocratic system.
As supreme leader, he held ultimate authority over the state, the clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard, shaping Iran’s domestic and foreign policy for decades.
With no publicly identified successor, "uncertainty" now surrounds the country’s political direction.
Iranian officials said an interim governing council has been formed to run state affairs until a new supreme leader is selected.
State media also reported that senior figures within Iran’s security hierarchy were killed in the strikes, including the head of the Revolutionary Guard and a close security adviser to Khamenei.
Maj Gen Mohammad Pakpour has reportedly been appointed to lead the Guard following the death of its previous commander during last year’s 12-day conflict.
Witnesses quoted by international news agencies said some residents celebrated openly, while elsewhere mourning rituals were under way as a black flag was raised above the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, one of Shiite Islam’s holiest sites.
The government declared 40 days of public mourning and a week-long national holiday for the cleric, and several members of Khamenei’s family who were also killed in the attack.