Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in US–Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, according to several Iranian state media reports. The announcement follows statements from US and Israeli officials claiming that Khamenei was killed during a series of coordinated strikes on the country.
“The Supreme Leader of Iran has reached martyrdom,” state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday morning.
Iranian state media reported that Khamenei “was carrying out his assigned duties and was present at his workplace (his office)”. “This cowardly attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning”, state media said.
Meanwhile, Iran has announced 40 days of public mourning following the reported death of a 86-year-old Supreme Leader.
However, the Iranian government has not provided any official information regarding this.
IRGC mourns ‘great leader’ Khamenei’s death
“We have lost a great leader and we are mourning him, a leader who was unique in in terms of purity of spirit, strength of faith, resourcefulness in affairs, courage in the face of the arrogant, and jihad in the path of God”, a statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said, reported Reuters.
After Khamenei’s death, his son could become supreme leader
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had named his second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as his successor in 2024. Khamenei made this decision due to illness. However, this has not been officially confirmed.
According to reports, Iran’s Assembly of Experts had already elected the new Supreme Leader on September 26, 2024. Khamenei himself had called the assembly’s 60 members to secretly decide on his successor. The assembly unanimously agreed on Mojtaba’s name.
Now, following the news of Khamenei’s death, Mojtaba could emerge as a contender for Supreme Leader.
According to media reports, following Khamenei’s death, his son Mojtaba Khamenei has been chosen as the country’s new Supreme Leader. However, this has not been officially confirmed.
Death of Khamenei’s adviser in Israeli attack
Iran’s Defense Council Secretary and Supreme Leader Khamenei’s adviser, Ali Shamkhani, has been killed in an Israeli attack, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA. Earlier, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, Mohammad Pakpour, was also reported dead.
According to IRNA, a temporary three-person committee has been formed to manage the country’s affairs. The committee includes the President of Iran, the head of the Supreme Court (Judiciary), and a cleric from the Guardian Council.
These three members will jointly handle all governmental functions until a new Supreme Leader is appointed, ensuring that the country’s administration and system continue to operate without interruption.
