US President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that Khamenei was dead following the joint aerial bombardment
Dubai/Tehran/Washington: Iranian state-linked news agencies Tasnim and Fars on Sunday reported that Ali Khamenei has been killed in the US-Israeli air offensive on Iran, a development that, if confirmed, would mark the most consequential leadership change in the Islamic Republic since 1989 and sharply escalate the regional conflict.
According to media reports, Khamenei was killed at his office while “performing his assigned duties” in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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US President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that Khamenei was dead following the joint aerial bombardment, calling it the “single greatest chance” for Iranians to “take back their country” and warning that “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week. Iranian authorities have not issued an official statement, but the reports by the two semi-official agencies are the first domestic confirmations of his death.
Also read | Iran media confirms deaths of Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter in Tehran strikes
The strikes targeted military command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone launch sites and senior security leadership, according to US and Israeli officials. Israel said several top figures in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s security establishment were also killed.
Khamenei, 86, held ultimate authority over Iran’s political, military and clerical structures for more than three decades. His reported death leaves no publicly designated successor and is expected to trigger an intense internal power struggle within the clerical establishment and the Revolutionary Guard, while raising the risk of further external confrontation.
Also read | US Central Command releases footage of strikes on Iran amid rising tensions | VIDEO
Iran has already launched waves of missiles and drones at Israel and at US military facilities across the Gulf, while allied militias in Iraq claimed attacks on American bases. Tehran’s National Security Council warned that the US and Israel would “regret” the operation, signalling the possibility of sustained retaliation.
At the United Nations, Iran accused Washington and Tel Aviv of “premeditated aggression” and said hundreds of civilians had been killed or wounded in the strikes. The US said the operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” was aimed at eliminating what it called an imminent missile threat and degrading Iran’s nuclear-related capabilities.
Israeli Air Force airstrikes kill seven senior Iranian Defence officials
In a blow to Tehran's leadership, the Israeli Air Force said its jets carried out strikes on military targets in Iran, reportedly killing seven top Iranian defence officials, including Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour.
In a post on X, the Israeli Air Force shared, "IAF fighter jets precisely struck military targets across Iran, eliminating 7 senior officials of the Iranian Defense Leadership: Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, Saleh Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Hossein Jabal Amelian, Reza Mozaffari-Nia. The world is a better place without them.
However, Iran has not confirmed yet. The Israeli Air Force said missiles were recently launched from Iran toward Israel.
Published: 01 Mar 2026, 07:12 am IST
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