Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability.
Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news announced the 86-year-old’s death early Sunday. President Donald Trump had announced his death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
The announcements came after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.
Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue through the week or as long as necessary.
The strikes opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran, marking the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the country during talks over its nuclear program.
The reported killing of Khamenei after decades in power appeared certain to create a significant leadership vacuum given the absence of a known successor and because the Supreme Leader had final say on all major policies.
On Sunday, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its “most-intense offensive operation” ever targeting Israel and U.S. bases.
