Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, has reportedly been killed in a sweeping joint operation by the United States and Israel, marking one of the most dramatic escalations in Middle Eastern geopolitics in decades. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB confirmed his death, describing it as “martyrdom” and stating that the 86-year-old cleric was killed in his office during coordinated aerial strikes on Tehran.

US President Donald Trump claimed Washington worked closely with Israel to target Iran’s top leadership, calling Khamenei’s death “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.” He warned that further strikes would continue if necessary to neutralise what he described as Iran’s long-standing nuclear threat.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, has reportedly been killed in a sweeping joint operation by the United States and Israel, marking one of the most dramatic escalations in Middle Eastern geopolitics in decades. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB confirmed his death, describing it as “martyrdom” and stating that the 86-year-old cleric was killed in his office during coordinated aerial strikes on Tehran.

US President Donald Trump claimed Washington worked closely with Israel to target Iran’s top leadership, calling Khamenei’s death “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.” He warned that further strikes would continue if necessary to neutralise what he described as Iran’s long-standing nuclear threat.