Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Is Dead, Iranian State Media Reports

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iranian state media confirmed he was killed in a major Israeli and US strike early Sunday. Islamic Republic suspicion and increases the risk of regional instability.

Minister Donald Trump He announced their time of death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians the “best chance” of “taking back” their country.

State media reported that the 86-year-old man was killed in an air strike targeting a residential area in downtown Tehran. Satellite photos from Airbus showed the area was heavily bombed.

His death in office “showed that he constantly stood among the public and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what the authorities called global arrogance,” state television said.

“Khamenei, one of the worst people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote in his social media post. He warned of “heavy and precise bombing” that he said would continue throughout the week and even beyond as part of a deadly offensive that the US deemed necessary to disable it. country’s nuclear capacity.

The attack opened a striking new page US intervention in IranIt carried the potential for retaliatory violence and broader war, and represented a surprising flexibility of military power for an American president who took office on an “America First” platform. He vowed to stay away from “endless wars.”

Khamenei’s murder Second attack of the Trump administration Given the absence of a known successor, it seemed certain that a leadership vacuum would be created on Iran within eight months. 86-year-old religious leader He had the final say on all major policies during his decades in power. He led Iran’s religious establishment and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the ruling theocracy’s two main centers of power.

As reports of the death spread, witnesses in Tehran told The Associated Press that some residents were jubilant, cheering, whistling and howling from rooftops.

The semi-official Fars news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, reported, citing unidentified sources, that several of Khamenei’s relatives, including his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and grandson, were also killed.

Iran responded to the attacks with its own counter-attack and warned of retaliation.

The Iranian Cabinet warned that this “great crime will never go unanswered”. The Revolutionary Guard said “severe, final and remorseful punishment” would come for Khamenei’s killing.

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said in his post on X on Saturday, “Iran’s brave soldiers and great nation will teach an unforgettable lesson to the hellish international oppressors.”

The joint US-Israeli operation, which officials said had been planned for months, took place on Saturday during the Muslim holy fast. month of ramadan and at the beginning of the Iranian work week. This follows stilted negotiations and warnings by Trump, who last year touted his administration’s success in neutralizing the country’s nuclear program but still used the latest round as necessary to head off a potential resurgence.

About 12 hours after the attacks began, the US military reported that there were no US casualties and minimal damage to US bases, despite “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone strikes”. Targets in Iran include Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and unmanned aerial vehicle launch sites and military airfields.

Israel, on the other hand, announced that it killed the commander of the Revolutionary Guards and the country’s defense minister, as well as the secretary of the Iranian Security Council, a close advisor to Khamenei.

Trump said Khamenei “failed to evade our Intelligence and Highly Advanced Surveillance Systems, and working closely with Israel, there was nothing he or the other leaders killed with him could have done.” “This is the greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country,” he said.

an Iranian diplomat He told the United Nations Security Council It was stated that hundreds of civilians were killed and injured in the attacks. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel and US military bases in the region, and clashes continued throughout the night.

Some first strikes The attacks against Iran were seen near the office of Khamenei, the second leader of the Islamic Republic after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israeli officials confirmed the death, followed by Trump.

Democrats condemn Trump’s decision Action without congressional authorization. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the administration had notified several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress in advance.

Tensions have risen as the Trump administration has escalated tensions in recent weeks. The largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East for decades. When the president wanted a deal that would restrict Iran’s nuclear program, he insisted the country was struggling with nuclear problems. growing opposition do not follow protests across the country.

Although Trump declared that Iran’s nuclear program was destroyed in last year’s attacks, the country was rebuilding the infrastructure it lost, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump’s decision-making process. The official said intelligence showed Iran had developed the ability to produce its own high-quality centrifuges, an important step in developing the highly enriched uranium needed for weapons.

Iran responded to recent attacks by launching missiles and drones towards israel and targets US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The Israeli military said Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel and many were intercepted. A woman died in the Tel Aviv area after being injured in an Iranian missile attack, the Magen David Adom rescue service said on Saturday night.

Eyewitnesses stated that at least three explosions were heard near the Ministry of Intelligence building in the north of Tehran on Saturday evening, adding that air defense systems started working there. The Israeli army said it started new attacks against missile launchers and air defense systems in central Iran.

Speaking to Iranian state television, the local governor reported that at least 115 people died and dozens were injured in the attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran. U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said he was “aware of reports” that a girls’ school had been hit and that authorities were investigating.

Iranian state news agency IRNA stated that at least 15 people died in the southwest, and quoted the governor of the Lamerd region, Ali Alizadeh, as saying that a gym, two residential areas and a hall near a school were hit.

Flights to the Middle East started broke downand air defense fire thundered over Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates. Shrapnel from Iran’s missile attack on the UAE capital killed one person, state media said.

Israel said the operation had been planned with the United States for months. Israeli army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement that Air Force pilots “hit hundreds of targets across Iran.”

Targets in the Israeli operation included the Iranian military, government symbols and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information about the attack.

Trump acknowledged Saturday that there could be American casualties, saying “that often happens in war.” He said he aimed to “destroy” Iran’s navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran. He called on paramilitaries Iranian Revolutionary Guard He said members would be given immunity or face “certain death” if they lay down their weapons.

Iran has said it hopes to avoid a war but maintains its right to enrich uranium.

Iran says it has not become richer since Junebut it prevented international inspectors from visiting the sites bombed by the United States. Satellite photos analyzed by AP Two of these sites showed new activityIt suggests that Iran is trying to evaluate and potentially recover the materials.

Trump had threatened military action but postponed it after Iran’s recent crackdown on protests sparked by economic woes turned into a nationwide crackdown against ruling clerics.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency confirmed this more than 7,000 deaths is in print and is investigating thousands more people. The government acknowledged that more than 3,000 people were killed.

The attacks could shake global markets, especially if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. One third worldwide oil export In 2025, sea transport passed through the Bosphorus.

Saudi Arabia said Iran targeted its capital and eastern region in an attack that was repelled. Bahrain said a missile strike targeted the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom, and three buildings were damaged in the capital Manama and the city of Muharraq by drone strikes and debris from a captured missile.

Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said a drone targeted its main international airport, injuring several employees. Kuwait’s state news agency said three soldiers were injured by shrapnel in the attacks on Ali Al-Salem air base. Explosions were also heard in Qatar. Jordan said it was “interested” in 49 unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic missiles.

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv. Boak reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Joe Federman in Jerusalem, Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin in Washington, Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Farnoush Amiri in New York and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.