Profile of Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran Killed by US-Israel
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in a combined US-Israel air strike targeting his residential complex on Saturday, 28 February 2026 local time. Iranian authorities have subsequently confirmed the claim. A state media television presenter wept whilst reporting the news. The country is observing 40 days of mourning.
Khamenei was a central figure who shaped Iran’s resistance direction and strategic policies for over three decades. In his statement, Trump said Khamenei and several Iranian officials “could not escape US intelligence and the most advanced tracking systems.” Tehran has not yet formally confirmed the claim.
Khamenei assumed leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Whereas Khomeini was known as the ideological architect of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Khamenei built the foundation of state power through strengthening the military, paramilitary forces, and regional networks of influence.
Before becoming Supreme Leader, Khamenei served as president of Iran during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). That bloody conflict shaped his deeply suspicious worldview towards the West, particularly the United States, which then supported Iraq under Saddam Hussein. “He was a wartime president who emerged from that conflict with the conviction that Iran was vulnerable and must always be ready to face threats,” said Vali Nasr, Iran expert and author of Iran’s Grand Strategy, according to Al Jazeera. According to Nasr, for Khamenei, revolution, the Islamic republic, and Iranian nationalism were one unified entity that must be protected.
Building a Security State
Under his leadership, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps evolved into a dominant force not only in military terms but also in politics and economics. Khamenei also championed the concept of a “resistance economy” to support Iran’s self-sufficiency amid Western sanctions. However, this hardline approach triggered widespread domestic criticism. Brutal suppression of the 2009 election protests and the wave of demonstrations in 2022 over women’s rights underscored Khamenei’s leadership style, which treated domestic instability as a national security threat. “The Iranian people paid an excessively high price for this version of national independence,” said Nasr. “In the process, Khamenei lost the support of much of the population.”
From Pragmatism to Confrontation
Despite his hardline reputation, Khamenei was also pragmatic. He agreed to the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) to ease the economic pressure from sanctions. However, the United States’ withdrawal from the agreement under Trump pushed Khamenei back towards a confrontational stance, refusing dialogue with Washington.
Khamenei promoted a strategy of “neither peace nor war” and strengthened networks of regional allies known as the “axis of resistance,” including Hizbullah, Hamas, and the Houthis. This strategy made Iran a key player in regional conflicts whilst also making it a primary target for Israel. Tensions peaked following the Israel-Hamas war and a series of Israeli strikes against Iranian targets and its allies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even openly threatened to kill Khamenei.
In one of his speeches, Khamenei asserted that Iran would not capitulate. “The Iranian nation will not surrender. US military intervention will bring irreparable damage,” he said.
Symbol of Resistance
For his supporters, Khamenei symbolised steadfastness against Western and Israeli pressure. However, for critics, he was increasingly disconnected from the reality of Iran’s younger generation, which sought reform and economic improvement rather than isolation and prolonged conflict.
Khamenei’s death could represent the most significant turning point in the history of the Islamic Republic since 1979.