Iran supreme leader Khamenei dead after U . S ., Israel attacks

english.kyodonews.net · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, died following airstrikes by U.S. and Israeli forces that also killed others in the country's leadership, describing the development as "the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country." Hours after Trump's announcement, Iran's state media also confirmed the death of Khamenei, 86, raising the specter of chaos in Iran and uncertainty over the broader implications for the Middle East. "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump said on social media. "He 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." Calling for regime change, Trump said he has heard that Iranian military and police personnel "no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us." The United States and Israel began major strikes on Iran earlier Saturday. There have been multiple explosions in the Iranian capital Tehran and across the country, according to local media. The Israel Defense Forces said they had targeted Iran's ballistic missile and air defense systems and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would strike thousands of targets in the coming days. Besides Khamenei, his daughter and grandchild are among the dead, along with the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an armed force, according to local media reports. Trump's announcement of Khamenei's death came after rounds of U.S.-Iran talks to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program. Trump had also piled pressure on Iran to stop its violence against anti-government protesters. Khamenei became Iran's supreme leader in 1989 following the death of his predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution and founded the Islamic Republic. The supreme leader is at the top of the judicial, legislative and administrative branches, making decisions on critical matters, including the country's nuclear program. After Trump in his first term as president in 2018 pulled the United States out of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran, along with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia, Khamenei hardened his stance toward Washington. Khamenei's death marks the end of his reign of over three decades, potentially plunging Iran into chaos and heightening geopolitical risks in the Middle East due to Iranian retaliatory attacks. The Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf is a key waterway for vessels carrying oil and other cargo. A series of apparently retaliatory attacks by Iran have been reported in parts of the Middle East, including airports in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations spoke by phone and agreed to communicate and coordinate closely as the United States provided "an overview" of the latest developments and outlook, according to a statement released by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Japan, represented by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, vowed to make "all necessary diplomatic efforts" and work with the international community, the ministry said.