US–Israel Airstrikes Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: State Media

Tehran - Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in joint US–Israel airstrikes, Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday.

According to a report by Fars News Agency, four of Khamenei’s close relatives — including his daughter, grandchild and son-in-law — were also killed in the strikes, citing informed sources.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced the killing on his social media platform Truth Social, describing it as the “single greatest chance” for Iranians to regain control of their country.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump said, calling the strike “justice for the people of Iran” and for “Americans and others across the world who were killed or maimed by Khamenei and his network.”

Trump claimed that Khamenei was unable to evade US intelligence and advanced tracking systems, adding that coordinated action with Israel left him and other senior leaders with no escape.

He further stated that large sections of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, military and security forces were no longer willing to fight and were seeking immunity. Reiterating an earlier warning, Trump said, “Now they can have immunity; later they only get death.”

The US President also asserted that within a single day, not only was Khamenei killed, but Iran itself had been “severely damaged and virtually obliterated.”

Prior to Trump’s statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had indicated that there were “many signs” suggesting Khamenei was no longer alive, though he stopped short of formal confirmation. Netanyahu said Khamenei’s compound had been destroyed in the strikes.

With inputs from IANS