Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major airstrike on his Tehran compound carried out by Israel and the United States, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday, plunging the Islamic Republic into uncertainty and raising fears of wider regional conflict.
President Donald Trump had announced Khamenei’s death hours earlier, calling it the “greatest chance” for Iranians to “take back” their country. State media said the 86-year-old was killed at his office; satellite images from Airbus showed heavy bombing at the site. State TV added that Khamenei’s presence at his office underscored his role “among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities.”
Trump described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in History” in a social media post and warned of “heavy and pinpoint bombing” continuing throughout the week and beyond, framing the strikes as necessary to disable Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The U.S. said the operation targeted Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air-defence systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
Iran responded by vowing retribution. The Cabinet called the attack a “great crime” that “will never go unanswered,” and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened its “most intense offensive operation” ever against U.S. and Israeli bases. Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military installations in the region; exchanges of fire continued into the night.
State media also reported the deaths of the head of the Revolutionary Guard and a top security adviser to Khamenei in the strikes. The semiofficial Fars news agency, close to the IRGC, cited unidentified sources saying several of Khamenei’s relatives were killed, including a daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and a grandchild.
Eyewitnesses in Tehran told The Associated Press that some residents celebrated Khamenei’s death, cheering from rooftops, blowing whistles and ululating. At the same time, mourners raised a black mourning flag over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. The Iranian government declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day nationwide holiday to mark his death.
Officials said the joint U.S.-Israeli operation had been planned for months and took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and at the start of Iran’s workweek. U.S. military statements reported no U.S. casualties and minimal damage to U.S. bases despite “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.” Israel said its forces struck “hundreds of targets across Iran,” and its military chief said they had killed the Revolutionary Guard commander, the defence minister and the secretary of Iran’s Security Council, a close Khamenei adviser.
An Iranian diplomat told the U.N. Security Council that hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded in the strikes. Iranian state media and local officials reported multiple civilian casualties across the country, including at least 115 deaths in the south when a girls’ school was struck, according to the local governor. Iran’s IRNA quoted the governor of Lamerd saying a sports hall, two residential areas and a hall near a school were hit, with at least 15 killed there.
Across the region, missiles and drone attacks disrupted flights and set off air-defence fire over cities such as Dubai. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile strike reportedly killed one person in the UAE. Saudi Arabia said Iran targeted its capital and eastern region but repelled the attack. Bahrain reported damage to buildings in Manama and Muharraq after strikes targeted the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters. Kuwait said a drone struck its main international airport, injuring employees, and reported troops wounded by shrapnel at Ali Al-Salem air base. Jordan said it intercepted 49 drones and ballistic missiles. Explosions were also reported in Qatar.
U.S. officials said intelligence indicated Iran had been rebuilding capabilities lost in earlier strikes and had developed the ability to produce higher-quality centrifuges. Trump said he aimed to “annihilate” the Iranian navy and destroy Tehran’s regional proxies, offering IRGC members immunity if they surrendered or facing “certain death” otherwise.
The strikes have drawn political criticism at home. Democrats condemned Trump’s actions as taken without congressional authorization; the White House said it had briefed some Republican and Democratic congressional leaders in advance.
The assault marks a dramatic escalation of U.S. intervention in Iran and could create a leadership vacuum, given the absence of a known successor to the long-dominant supreme leader who had final say on major policy matters and led both the clerical establishment and the IRGC. The killing of top security figures further complicates Iran’s power structure.
Analysts warn the effects could ripple through global markets, particularly if the Strait of Hormuz becomes unsafe for shipping; in 2025 a third of worldwide oil exports by sea passed through the strait. The strikes and ensuing regional clash threaten broader instability across the Middle East and beyond.
The backdrop to the conflict includes recent domestic unrest in Iran. Authorities had recently suppressed nationwide protests that began over economic grievances and grew into a wider challenge to clerical rule; rights groups have reported thousands killed in the crackdown. U.S. officials and allies now face an escalating confrontation whose human, political and economic consequences are still unfolding.
