Iranian state television announced early Sunday morning the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Khamenei had been killed. In a post on his account on the platform Truth Social, he wrote: “Khamenei, one of the most evil figures in history, is dead.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in an official statement that Khamenei was “in the process of carrying out the tasks assigned to him” and was present in his office at the moment the attack occurred, which took place early on Saturday morning, February 28.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that the killing of Khamenei constitutes a clear declaration of war, vowing to respond to those responsible for the operation.
He stated that Iran “considers avenging the perpetrators and planners of this historic crime a religious duty and a legitimate right.”
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani announced in a televised interview that following the killing of Ali Khamenei, a “temporary leadership council” would be formed to govern Iran.
Larijani added: “The enemies reached the conclusion that they would not achieve their goals as long as leadership remained in Khamenei’s hands, and for this reason they decided to target him first.”
The Mizan News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s judiciary, reported—quoting the spokesperson of the Expediency Discernment Council—that Ali Reza Arafi, in his capacity as a jurist member of the Guardian Council, had been selected to join Iran’s temporary leadership council.
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, mourned Khamenei on Sunday, describing him as “the main supporter of the axis of resistance, Palestine, and its fighters.”
The Iraqi government also declared three days of national mourning across the country following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority Ali al-Sistani said in a statement that “when the enemies launched the wide military aggression against Iran, they intended to inflict severe damage on the country,” adding that Khamenei’s high status and what he described as his “unique” role in leading Iran over the past many years are clear to all.
The Iranian Students News Agency also reported the death of Mohammad Baseri, described as one of the “senior officials in the Ministry of Intelligence,” in the attacks carried out by Israel and the United States.
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a wide-scale attack on Iran, which responded by firing missiles at Israel and U.S. bases in the region.
Amir Hatami, commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army, told Iran’s Khabar Network on Sunday morning that Iranian Air Force fighter jets had attacked U.S. bases in the Gulf and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The army added in an official statement that it had carried out “several phases of operations,” without providing further details.
Agencies
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