Iran confirms Khamenei killed in US-Israel strikes, declares 40-day mourning
Iran on Sunday confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in large-scale US-Israeli airstrikes, announcing 40 days of national mourning after what officials described as the most extensive attack on Iranian territory in decades.
Iranian state media reported that Khamenei died following coordinated strikes targeting senior leadership and military installations across the country. A senior Israeli official had earlier told Reuters that the Iranian leader’s body was recovered from the rubble of his compound after the attack.
US President Donald Trump said Washington worked closely with Israel to target Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989 and wielded ultimate authority over the country’s military and strategic decision-making.
CELEBRATIONS AND FEAR INSIDE IRAN
Witnesses reported sharply mixed reactions across Iran following news of Khamenei’s death. Some residents gathered in parts of Tehran, Karaj and Isfahan, celebrating in the streets, while unverified social media videos showed similar scenes in other cities.
At the same time, widespread panic followed the overnight bombardment. “We are scared, we are terrified. My children are shaking, we have nowhere to go,” Minou, a 32-year-old mother in Tabriz, told Reuters by phone.
STRIKES TRIGGER REGIONAL ESCALATION
Iran condemned the operation as “unprovoked and illegal” and launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and at least seven countries hosting US military bases across the Gulf region, sharply escalating tensions across West Asia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Khamenei’s compound had been destroyed during the operation.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour were among senior officials killed. Israel’s military said five additional commanders, including senior adviser Ali Shamkhani, also died in the strikes. Iranian media reported casualties among members of Khamenei’s family as well.
Israel said nearly 200 fighter jets carried out what it described as the largest aerial mission in its history, striking about 500 targets across Iran, including strategic defence systems previously damaged in earlier attacks.
TRUMP DEFENDS OPERATION, WARNS OF MORE BOMBING
Trump described the strikes as a decisive move to eliminate what he called a long-standing nuclear threat posed by Iran.
In posts on Truth Social, he said US intelligence and tracking systems monitored Khamenei’s movements and claimed Iranian leadership had no ability to evade the operation.
The US president also warned that military action would continue, saying “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would proceed uninterrupted “as long as necessary” to secure peace in the Middle East.
Despite fears of escalation, the Pentagon said there were no reported US deaths or combat-related injuries, though Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones in retaliation.
GLOBAL MARKETS, AIR TRAVEL DISRUPTED
Iran warned that the Strait of Hormuz – a critical chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies pass – had been closed, raising fears of a major energy shock. Airlines across the Middle East cancelled flights as security risks surged.
Khamenei’s death marks a historic turning point for Iran’s Islamic Republic, removing the country’s supreme authority after more than three decades in power and plunging the region into one of its most volatile moments in recent history.
With agency inputs
