Iran Officially Confirms Assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Iranian state television has confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in Israeli and U.S. airstrikes and announced 40 days of national mourning.

Al Jazeera reported on this.

According to the broadcaster, Khamenei was killed in his office. This confirmation contradicts earlier reports from Iranian news agencies Tasnim News Agency and Mehr News Agency, which had initially stated that the ayatollah was “steadfast and confidently managing the situation on the ground.”

Earlier that same day, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the 86-year-old leader had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes that began early Saturday, February 28.

According to the media, although Iranian authorities had long prepared for the possible assassination of Khamenei in the event of war with the United States and Israel, his death adds new uncertainty to a conflict that has already raised fears of further escalation and a wider spread of hostilities.

Khamenei had served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989 and held ultimate authority over all branches of government, the military, and the judiciary, while also acting as the country’s highest religious authority.

In accordance with its constitution, Iran has formed a temporary council to perform the duties of the Supreme Leader and govern the country. The council includes Iran’s current president, the head of the judiciary, and a member of the Guardian Council selected by the Expediency Discernment Council, which advises the Supreme Leader and resolves disputes with parliament.

Meanwhile, the 88-member body known as the Assembly of Experts is required “as soon as possible” to elect a new Supreme Leader under Iranian law. The Assembly consists entirely of Shia clerics elected by popular vote every eight years, with candidates approved by the Guardian Council.