Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic of Iran for almost 40 years since 1989, has been confirmed dead following a major joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran. Iranian state media, Israeli officials, independent Western medias and Donald Trump himself announced the leader's death early on March 1, with Tehran declaring a 40-day national mourning period and several days of public holidays.
The strikes, launched on February 28, 2026, were part of a coordinated campaign by the United States and Israel, referred to in U.S. sources as Operation Epic Fury, targeting military infrastructure and high-level regime figures. According to Reuters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there were "many signs" that Khamenei had been killed on the first day of the operation, while U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announced his death on social media.
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Iranian state television and news outlets confirmed that Khamenei, aged 86, was killed during the strikes, and reported that several of his family members and senior officials were also among the casualties. The government's declaration of a 40-day mourning period reflects the leadership's framing of the event as both a national tragedy and a pivotal moment for the Islamic Republic.
Iran's state media also confirmed the deaths of four senior commanders of the Islamic Republic's armed forces - Mohammad Pakpour, Ali Shamkhani, Abdolrahim Mousavi and Aziz Nasirzadeh. The reported deaths of these figures mark one of the most significant strikes against the Iranian political-military elite in modern history.
- Mohammad Pakpour - Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- Ali Shamkhani - former Iranian navy officer and commander, who served as the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran from 2013 to 2023. He was mistakenly reported dead a year ago during the 2025 Israel-Iran War, and though he was alive, he was indeed targeted and seriously injured
- Abdolrahim Mousavi - Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
- Aziz Nasirzadeh - Iranian Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, also being former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and former Commander of the Iranian Air Force
Following the announcement, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly began coordinating an interim leadership council in accordance with constitutional procedures, though a permanent successor to the Supreme Leader has not yet been named. The coming days are expected to determine whether Iran's political system remains the same or enters a period of internal power struggle.
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