Trump and Israel Claim Khamenei Dead; Iran Responds

United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (28 February) that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (86 years old) was killed in a military attack launched by the United States and Israel. He stated that Khamenei died in a conflict that has defined his administration’s relationship with Iran.

A senior Israeli official claimed that the Supreme Leader’s body was recovered following the US-Israel air strike on Iran, according to Reuters reporting on Sunday (1 March 2026).

Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed his death, though satellite imagery reveals significant damage to his residential complex in Tehran, which was among the initial targets of the bombing campaign.

Khamenei’s death would represent a major blow to the Islamic Republic, which he has led since 1989, a decade after assuming power in the theocratic revolution that toppled Iran’s monarchy and destabilised the Middle East.

Iranian state media has confirmed that several of Khamenei’s family members have been killed, including his daughter, granddaughter, and daughters-in-law and sons-in-law.

However, as of this report’s publication, Iran has not confirmed whether Khamenei himself is dead or alive.