Iran’s government confirmed Sunday that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, was killed in joint US and Israeli airstrikes, an announcement that threatens to destabilize the Islamic Republic and intensify tensions across the Middle East.
Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency reported the death of Khamenei, 86, early Sunday. President Donald Trump had announced the killing hours earlier in a post on Truth Social, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
The confirmation followed a sweeping US-Israeli aerial campaign that began a day earlier and targeted Iranian military and government sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue as long as necessary.
Iranian state media also reported that the country’s chief of army staff and defense minister were killed in an airstrike on a meeting of Iran’s defense council. Those reports could not be independently verified.
The strikes marked the second consecutive day of joint US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Missile and airstrikes were reported in Tehran, Qom, Isfahan and Kermanshah, among other cities.
In retaliation, Iran launched missiles at US bases in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, according to Iranian officials, and fired projectiles toward parts of Israel. The extent of damage and casualties from those attacks was not immediately clear.
Khamenei, who had the final say over all major state matters, had ruled Iran for more than three decades. His death leaves no publicly designated successor and is likely to create a leadership vacuum at a moment of acute national crisis.
In Washington, lawmakers prepared for a renewed debate over presidential war powers. Members of Congress in both parties said they would consider legislation that could require the president to seek congressional authorization for continued military action in Iran.
US and Israeli officials have said the operation followed months of planning, amid stalled negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has denied seeking nuclear weapons but has restricted international inspections at several key sites.
The full consequences of Khamenei’s death — for Iran’s internal politics, its regional allies and the broader balance of power in the Middle East — remained uncertain.
