Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday, announcing the Supreme Leader’s passing without providing further details other than that he was working at his office at the time of his death.
The US and Israel revealed on Saturday that Khamenei was killed in their strike on his palace in Tehran on Saturday evening along with members of his family and senior regime officials. The strike was timed to coincide with a meeting that the Supreme Leader would be holding with top aides, as it was indicated by intelligence information.
‼️WATCH: For the first time since the start of Operation ‘Roaring Lion’, the IAF is striking targets belonging to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.
Over the past day, the IAF conducted large-scale strikes to establish aerial superiority and pave the path to… pic.twitter.com/DN2MkGCfWc
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 1, 2026
The 86-year-old ruler had been in power in Iran since 1989. As Supreme Leader, he held ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military, and the judiciary in the Shi’ite Islamic republic. Tehran declared forty days of mourning for Khamenei. Videos of mourners are broadcast on Iranian television.
On the other hand, videos posted on social media from both Iran and Israel showed people cheering and celebrating to reports of Khamenei’s elimination, following the most recent massacre of civilians by the regime. Nationwide anti-establishment protests have been surging in Iran since December 28, met with a deadly crackdown by Iranian police. It is estimated that over 36,000 protesters have been killed and thousands more arrested and tortured in January alone.
BREAKING:
In Tehran, people are cheering and celebrating amid reports of Khamenei's death. pic.twitter.com/KfauCNdON8
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) February 28, 2026
Israel, US first to report Khamenei dead
Khamenei is dead and his body has been found, a senior Israeli official was the first to tell Reuters on Saturday. However, Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Mehr kept reporting that the Supreme Leader was “steadfast and firm in commanding the field.”
“This morning we destroyed the compound of the tyrant Khamenei,” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a video statement, also on Saturday. “There are many signs that this tyrant is no longer.”
“This morning we eliminated senior officials in the ayatollahs’ regime, Revolutionary Guards commanders, senior figures in the nuclear program—and we will continue. In the next few days, we will hit thousands more targets of the terror regime,” Netanyahu added.
Iranian retaliatory strikes on Israel continued on Saturday night, injuring civilians and resulting in casualties in Tel Aviv.
Major Iranian ballistic missile engagement over Tel Aviv, Israel, moments ago, at least one ground impact seen on stream. pic.twitter.com/lAoUSjz4Fw
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 28, 2026
US President Trump announces Khamenei’s death
The United States also believes Khamenei and five to ten top Iranian leaders were killed, US network Fox News reported a few hours after Netanyahu’s video.
It was US President Donald Trump who announced the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader as a given fact on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote.
He had previously confirmed Khamenei’s death in the strikes to NBC News. “We feel that is a correct story,” Trump told Kristen Welker, and added that he believed “most” of Iran’s senior leadership is “gone.”
“The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone,” he added. In the case of Khamenei’s death, Iran’s Supreme Leader could be replaced by hardline figures from the Revolutionary Guards, according to a Reuters exclusive report citing CIA sources.
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