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By: Isuru Parakrama
March 01, World (LNW): Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has been killed in US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran, according to Iranian state media.
He was reportedly targeted in his office on Saturday morning in what officials describe as one of the most significant escalations in decades of hostility between Iran and its adversaries.
The 86-year-old cleric, who had led the Islamic Republic since 1989, was the country’s highest authority, overseeing its armed forces, judiciary and key political decisions. His death marks a profound turning point for Iran’s leadership and the wider Middle East.
International sources disclose that approximately 40 senior Iranian officials were killed in the coordinated air raids. Earlier, Israel said it had identified and killed seven high-ranking officials in targeted strikes, though it did not immediately confirm whether Khamenei had been among them.
US President Donald Trump described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in History” and urged the Iranian public to “take back their Country”. In a statement, he said the strikes were aimed at weakening what he called “a regime that has terrorised its own people and destabilised the region for decades”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed swift and severe retaliation. In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC promised to unleash “the most devastating offensive operation” ever against US bases and Israel, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
Retaliatory strikes were reported earlier in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait — locations that host US military installations or are close allies of Washington. Initial reports suggest explosions were heard near strategic sites, although the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll inside Iran continues to mount. The Iranian Red Crescent says more than 200 people have been killed nationwide in the latest wave of attacks. Iranian authorities say at least 108 of those victims died when US and Israeli strikes hit a girls’ school in Tehran, an allegation that has not yet been independently verified.
The killing of Khamenei leaves a significant power vacuum at the apex of Iran’s political system. Under the country’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for appointing a successor, but analysts warn that the sudden loss of such a dominant figure could trigger internal instability at a moment of acute external threat.
World leaders have called for restraint, warning that the spiralling violence risks engulfing the region in a prolonged and unpredictable conflict.
