Israel said Khamenei’s compound in Tehran had been destroyed. (Via AFP)Next
AP
February 28, 2026
Iran’s cabinet confirmed Ali Khamenei’s death, warned that this “great crime will never go unanswered”
US President Trump said hours earlier that Khamenei was killed in a joint American-Israeli operation targeting Iran
Tehran announces 40 days of mourning, 7 public holidays
DUBAI: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack by Israel and the United States, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability.
President Donald Trump announced the death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
State media reported that the 86-year-old was killed in an airstrike targeting his compound in downtown Tehran. Satellite photos from Airbus showed the site heavily bombed.
Iran’s Ali Shamkhani, top advisor to the supreme leader, and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour have also been killed, IRNA reported.
His death at his office “showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance,” state TV said.
Iran’s Cabinet warned that this “great crime will never go unanswered.”
Iran State TV also confirmed on Sunday that Iran’s chief of army staff, Gen. Abdol Rahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh had also been killed.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard also warned of “a severe, decisive and regret-inducing punishment” coming over Khamenei’s killing.
Iranians initially cheered from rooftops and their homes in Tehran, Iran’s capital, when rumors first started to spread late Saturday of Khamenei’s death.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote in a social media post. He warned of “heavy and pinpoint bombing” that he said would continue throughout the week and even beyond, part of a lethal assault the US has justified as necessary to disable the country’s nuclear capabilities.
The attack opened a stunning new chapter in US intervention in Iran, carried the potential for retaliatory violence and a wider war, and represented a startling flex of military might for an American president who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars.”
The killing of Khamenei in the second Trump administration assault on Iran in eight months appeared certain to create a leadership vacuum given the absence of a known successor and because the 86-year-old supreme leader had final say on all major policies during his decades in power. He led Iran’s clerical establishment and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the two main centers of power in the governing theocracy.
As reports trickled out about the death, eyewitnesses in Tehran told The Associated Press that some residents were rejoicing, blowing whistles and letting out ululations.
Iran, which responded to the strikes with its own counterassault, warned of retribution.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said Saturday that Israel and America will “regret their actions.”
“The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will deliver an unforgettable lesson to the hellish international oppressors,” Larijani posted on X.
Strikes followed months of rising tensions
The joint US-Israel operation, which officials say was planned for months, took place Saturday during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan and at the start of the Iranian workweek. It followed stilted negotiations and warnings from Trump, who last year trumpeted his administration’s success in incapacitating the country’s nuclear program but nonetheless cast the latest round as necessary to head off its potential resurgence.
About 12 hours after the attacks began, the US military reported no US casualties and minimal damage at US bases despite “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.” It said targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
Israel, for its part, said it had killed the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and the country’s defense minister, as well as the secretary of the Iranian Security Council, a close adviser to Khamenei.
Khamenei “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do,” Trump said. “This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
An Iranian diplomat told the United Nations Security Council that hundreds of civilians were killed and wounded in the strikes. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and at US military bases in the region, and exchanges of fire continued into the night.
Some of the first strikes on Iran appeared to hit near the offices of Khamenei, the second leader of the Islamic Republic who succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israeli officials confirmed the death, followed by Trump.
Democrats decried that Trump had taken action without congressional authorization. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the administration had briefed several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress in advance.
The strikes followed unsuccessful nuclear talks
Tensions have soared in recent weeks as the Trump administration built up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades. The president insisted he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program while the country struggled with growing dissent following nationwide protests.
Though Trump had pronounced the Iranian nuclear program obliterated in strikes last year, the country was rebuilding infrastructure that it had lost, according to a senior US official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump’s decision-making process. The official said intelligence showed that Iran had developed the capability to produce its own high-quality centrifuges, an important step in developing the highly enriched uranium needed for weapons.
Iran responded to the latest strikes by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The Israeli military said Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel, with many intercepted. The Magen David Adom rescue service said Saturday night that a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being wounded in an Iranian missile attack.
At least three explosions were heard Saturday evening near the Intelligence Ministry building in northern Tehran, witnesses said, adding that air defense systems had begun operating there. Israel’s military said it had begun new strikes against missile launchers and aerial defense systems in central Iran.
In southern Iran, at least 115 people were reported killed when a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, the local governor told Iranian state TV. US Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said he was “aware of reports” that a girls’ school was struck and that officials were looking into them.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said at least 15 people were killed in the southwest, quoting the governor of the Lamerd region, Ali Alizadeh, as saying a sports hall, two residential areas and a hall near a school were hit.
Flights across the Middle East were disrupted, and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates’ commercial capital. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE capital killed one person, state media said.
Attack was coordinated between Israel and US
Israel said the operation had been planned for months with the United States. Air Force pilots struck “hundreds of targets across Iran,” Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement.
Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran’s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.
Trump acknowledged Saturday that there could be American casualties, saying “that often happens in war.” He said he was aiming to “annihilate” the Iranian navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran. He called on the paramilitary Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down arms, saying members would be given immunity or face “certain death” if they did not.
Iran had said it hoped to avert a war, but it maintained its right to enrich uranium.
Iran has said it has not enriched since June, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites the US bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by AP have shown new activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material.
Trump had threatened military action but held off following Iran’s recent crackdown on protests spurred by economic grievances that evolved into a nationwide push against the ruling clerics.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency says it confirmed more than 7,000 deaths in the crackdown and is investigating thousands more. The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 killed.
Effects could extend to markets and other countries
The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran makes the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of worldwide oil exports transported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.
Saudi Arabia said Iran targeted its capital and eastern region in an attack that was repelled. Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom, and three buildings were damaged in the capital, Manama, and Muharraq city by drone strikes and debris from an intercepted missile.
Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said a drone targeted the main international airport, injuring several employees. Kuwait’s state-run news agency said three troops were injured by shrapnel from strikes that hit Ali Al-Salem air base. Explosions could also be heard in Qatar. Jordan said it “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles.
Iran Confirms Khamenei Killed in US-Israeli Airstrikes, Tehran Declares Mourning
Iran confirmed the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Israeli airstrikes, vowing retaliation as national mourning begins.
Key Developments
- Iranian television confirmed the killing of Ali Khamenei in Israeli airstrikes.
- Iran declared 40 days of national mourning and a week-long government closure.
- IRGC vowed revenge, calling his death a turning point in confrontation.
- Donald Trump confirmed the killing and pledged continued intensive bombing.
- US officials reportedly say around 40 senior Iranian figures were killed.
Iranian State Media Confirms Killing
Iranian television confirmed early that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in Israeli airstrikes that struck Tehran early Saturday.
According to Iranian reports, Khamenei was killed while at work his office. The Fars News Agency reported that his daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law were also killed in the strikes.
The Iranian government declared 40 days of national mourning and ordered a seven-day closure of government offices.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that “the martyrdom of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will be the starting point for a great uprising against the world’s tyrants,” while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to avenge his killing.
A Revolutionary Guard commander told Fars that the structure of Iran’s political system allows for immediate succession, insisting that “the assassination of leaders does not leave the slightest impact on the course of progress in this battle.”
Succession and Escalation
Khamenei, born in 1939 in Mashhad, has led the Islamic Republic since 1989, succeeding Ruhollah Khomeini. He previously served as Iran’s president from 1981 to 1989 and survived an assassination attempt in 1981 that left his right hand partially paralyzed.
During his leadership, Iran expanded its regional influence and strengthened ties with resistance movements, while advancing its nuclear and missile programs.
US President Donald Trump has linked the current operation to what he described as earlier actions, including Operation Midnight Hammer, in June 2025.
A senior US official told American media that the intensive bombing campaign is expected to last at least five days, though Trump indicated that timeline could change.
(PC, Al Mayadeen, Fars News Agency, Axios
AFP
March 01, 2026
Masoud Pezeshkian says avenging the killing of the supreme leader was a right and obligation of the Islamic republic
TEHRAN: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes was a “declaration of war against Muslims.”
“The assassination of the highest political authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a prominent leader of Shiism worldwide … is perceived as an open declaration of war against Muslims, and particularly against Shiites, everywhere in the world,” Pezeshkian said in a statement carried by state TV.
Pezeshkian said that avenging the killing of the supreme leader was a right and obligation of the Islamic republic.
Protests break out in Pakistan, Iraq over Khamenei’s death; 9 die in Karachi
Pakistani Shiite Muslims hold placards to condemn the US-Israel attack on Iran during a protest in Karachi on February 28, 2026. (FILE/AFP)Next
Reuters
March 01, 2026
Police say hundreds of people have stormed the US Consulate in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi
Pro-Iranian protesters also gathered outside the Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where the US Embassy is located
KARACHI: Pakistani police on Sunday clashed with protesters who breached the outer wall of the US consulate in Karachi, leaving nine people dead, following news of US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pro-Iranian protesters also gathered outside the Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where the US Embassy is located. Videos from the scene show police repelling the protestors with tear gas as they tried to breach the heavily fortified area.
Pakistan and then Iraq have the largest Shiite Muslim populations after Iran.
In Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi, protesters had been pushed back from the consulate, a spokesman for the local government said, after they set a vehicle ablaze outside the main gate and clashed with police.
At least nine people were killed in those clashes, police said.
Reuters reporters heard sounds of gunfire and saw teargas being fired in streets around the compound. Video footage showed a fire beneath a nearby bridge.
No casualties were reported in the street clashes.
The US Consulate in Karachi and the US Embassy Islamabad Press Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Large protests also occurred in other parts of Pakistan.
Protesters set fire to a United Nations office building in the northern city of Skardu, in the normally peaceful Shiite-majority Gilgit Baltistan region known for its Himalayan peaks popular with tourists.
“A large number of protesters have gathered outside the UN office in GB and burned down the building,” local government spokesperson Shabbir Mir told Reuters, adding no casualties had been reported.
Earlier in the day in the central city of Lahore, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US consulate. There were some small-scale clashes with police but no reports of violence.
“Some of the protesters tried to damage the security gate, hundreds of yards away from the Consulate. However, police stopped them without use of force,” Aqeel Raza, an eyewitness, told Reuters.
In the capital Islamabad, all roads leading to the red zone, which houses diplomatic missions and parliament, were blocked for traffic or any other public movement, police said.
Airspace closed, flights canceled as US-Iran conflict flares
PROFILES – Who Were the Iranian Officials Killed in US–Israeli Strikes?
Iran confirmed senior military leaders were killed in US–Israeli strikes; here are the profiles of the officials reported dead.
Key Developments
- Iran confirmed the killing of Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
- Ali Shamkhani and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour were also reported killed.
- Several senior intelligence and defense officials were named among the dead.
- Tehran vowed a decisive response and continuity of command.
- Iranian officials said leadership structures allow immediate succession.
Senior Military Leadership Targeted
Iranian state television reported Sunday morning that Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, and Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh were killed in Saturday’s joint US–Israeli strikes.
Earlier, Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of Admiral Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Major General Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
CBS News, citing intelligence and military sources, reported that approximately 40 Iranian officials were killed in the attacks.
Iranian officials stressed that constitutional and military mechanisms remain intact and that succession procedures are already underway.
Below are the profiles of the key figures reported killed.
Ali Shamkhani
Ali Shamkhani was a senior military and political figure with the rank of admiral in the IRGC. Over decades, he held several pivotal positions, including Minister of Defense and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
He was appointed the first commander of the Revolutionary Guard in Khuzestan province, later commanded the Guard’s ground forces, and became deputy commander-in-chief of IRGC forces. Since 2023, he served as a political adviser to the Supreme Leader.
Shamkhani played a role in nuclear negotiations with the United States in 2025 and signed the Beijing agreement restoring relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Mohammad Pakpour
Major General Mohammad Pakpour was appointed commander-in-chief of the IRGC in June 2025, succeeding Major General Hossein Salami.
Holding a doctorate in political geography, Pakpour rose through the Guard’s ranks, commanding its ground forces and the Saberin special unit before assuming overall command. Israeli officials had accused him of overseeing missile and drone operations against Israel.
Abdolrahim Mousavi
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi had recently been appointed Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces on June 13, replacing Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed during the June war.
He had only recently assumed command of the country’s highest military structure before being reported killed in the latest strikes.
Aziz Nasirzadeh
Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh joined Iran’s air force at the age of 19 and flew F-14 fighter jets during the Iran–Iraq war (1980–1988). He advanced through senior command roles and was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces in 2021.
After Masoud Pezeshkian’s election in 2024, Nasirzadeh was nominated as Minister of Defense and received parliamentary approval in August 2024 with the highest percentage of votes.
Israeli officials have alleged that he oversaw missile production and long-range weapons industries, as well as advanced defense research structures.
Salah Asadi
Salah Asadi served as head of the intelligence department in the military emergency command and was described as the senior intelligence officer within the Supreme Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.
According to Israeli military claims, he played a central role in shaping Iran’s strategic posture toward Israel and the United States.
Mohammad Shirazi
Brigadier General Mohammad Shirazi had headed the military office of the Supreme Leader since 1989 and was consistently present alongside him.
Israeli officials claimed he was responsible for coordination between senior armed forces commanders and the Supreme Leader.
Hossein Jabal Amelian
Hossein Jabal Amelian, according to Iran International, oversaw naval industries within the IRGC structure.
Israeli sources claimed he was involved in developing advanced weapons technologies.
Reza Mozaffari Nia
Reza Mozaffari Nia, an IRGC commander and former head of the defense research organization SPND, was described by Israeli officials as being involved in strengthening efforts related to advanced military programs.
Tehran Vows Continuity and Response
Fars News Agency quoted an IRGC commander as saying that “the assassination of commanders does not have the slightest impact on the progress of this battle,” emphasizing that the structure of the Iranian system allows for the immediate appointment of competent replacements.
Iranian officials have reiterated that the country’s military and political institutions remain operational and that the response to the killings will continue under existing command frameworks.
(PC, Iranian State Television, IRNA, Fars News Agency, CBS News)
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