Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Killed in Joint US-Israeli Strikes on Tehran

Mangalore Today News Network

Tehran, March 1, 2026: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed following joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday.

State broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported, “The Supreme Leader of Iran has reached martyrdom,” stating that the 86-year-old leader was killed at his office in the early hours of Saturday. State television said his presence at his office reflected that he “stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities.”

The strikes, described as the most extensive attack on Iranian targets in decades, were reportedly carried out jointly by the United States and Israel. Citing an Israeli official, The Times of Israel said Khamenei was killed in a strike on his compound in Tehran, and that his body had been recovered. Channel 12 reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been shown an image of the body after it was retrieved.

Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989, held ultimate authority over the government, military and judiciary in the Islamic Republic. He succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, and went on to consolidate power despite early perceptions of political weakness.

His death, with no designated successor in place, is expected to deepen uncertainty in Tehran and could trigger heightened regional tensions amid Iranian threats of retaliation.

Throughout his tenure, Khamenei maintained a hardline stance against the West, frequently criticising Washington, including during the second term of US President Donald Trump in 2025. Amid recent protests in Iran and renewed tensions with the United States, he had reiterated that the country would not “yield to the enemy.”

Observers say his decades-long leadership shaped Iran’s domestic and foreign policy, reinforcing a rigid ideological course and consolidating clerical authority over the state.