U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on social media that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in a large‑scale military strike on Iran carried out by the United States and Israel. According to U.S. and Israeli sources, Khamenei’s compound in Tehran was hit with up to 30 bombs, and satellite images show several buildings destroyed.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei claims that both Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are “safe and sound.”
Trump said his death is “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.” The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.
The president also said “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue “uninterrupted” through the week or longer.
There was no immediate comment from Iran. The assassination of the second leader of the Islamic Republic, who had no designated successor, would throw its future into doubt and raise the prospect of a protracted conflict given Iranian threats of retaliation.
Trump in his post called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history.”
In a nationally televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed when Israel struck his compound early Saturday.
Shortly after the address, two Israeli officials said Israel had confirmed his death. The officials both spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement and gave no further details.
Khamenei succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He had the final say on all major policies, leading Iran’s clerical establishment and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard – the two main centers of power in the country’s theocracy.
Israel and the U.S. have launched on Feb. 28, 2026, a new wave of strikes against Iran, in what Israel has called a “preemptive attack.”
The U.S. Department of Defense announced in a post on social media that the U.S. operation has been named “Operation Epic Fury,” while Israel appears to have named its own operation “Roaring Lion.” According to reports, the attack appears to have started at around 8:10 am local time, with both U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu releasing statements shortly thereafter.