Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top security officials were killed in joint US-Israeli strikes, Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday, declaring a period of national mourning.
Initial reports of Khamenei’s death emerged on Saturday, including a senior Israeli official’s statement that his body had been located, but confirmation from Iranian state media came on Sunday
The Iranian government announced that an interim leadership council, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, will oversee the country until a new supreme leader is elected under constitutional provisions.
At least 201 people were killed in the attacks across 24 provinces, according to Iranian state media.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pledged “severe revenge,” claiming it had launched coordinated strikes on 27 bases hosting US troops in the Middle East as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv. Explosions were reported in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, eastern Riyadh while multiple regional capitals remained on high alert.
US President Donald Trump warned Tehran against further escalation.
“If Iran hits very hard today, it will be hit with a force that has never been seen before,” Trump said, underscoring Washington’s readiness to respond.
Iran’s retaliatory operations targeted Israeli and US-linked assets in several countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, according to Iranian officials. Several governments across the region announced the closure of their airspace amid the intensifying exchange of fire, disrupting commercial flights.
In the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, large crowds poured onto the streets to protest Khamenei’s killing. Videos circulating on state media showed mourners holding Iranian flags and portraits of the late supreme leader, with some beating their chests in grief.
Analysts warned that with senior Iranian leadership decimated and retaliatory attacks expanding across multiple countries, the conflict risks spiralling into a broader regional confrontation.