Iran Confirms Death of Supreme Leader Khamenei in US-Israeli Strikes, Declares 40-Day Mourning

Tehran, March 2026 : Iran’s state media on Sunday officially confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli airstrikes, marking one of the most consequential moments in the Islamic Republic’s history. Following the confirmation, the Iranian government announced a 40-day national mourning period to honour the late leader.

State television and official outlets reported that Khamenei was killed during intensive aerial attacks carried out by US and Israeli forces. The announcement followed a day of speculation and unverified reports circulating across regional and international media. Iranian authorities did not disclose the precise location or timing of the strike, citing security considerations as military operations continue.

Iran’s Fars News Agency, quoting informed sources, reported that at least four of Khamenei’s close relatives were also killed in the attacks. These reportedly included his daughter, a grandchild, and his son-in-law. The report added that the strike targeted a heavily guarded compound believed to be hosting senior leadership figures at the time.

The confirmation came shortly after US President Donald Trump publicly announced Khamenei’s death on his social media platform Truth Social. In a strongly worded post, Trump described the killing as a turning point for Iran and the wider Middle East.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote, calling the development the “single greatest chance” for the Iranian people to reclaim control of their country. He described the strike as “Justice for the people of Iran” and for Americans and others around the world who, he claimed, had suffered due to Iran’s actions under Khamenei’s leadership.

Trump said the Iranian leader was unable to evade US intelligence capabilities. “He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems,” Trump stated, adding that, in close coordination with Israel, there was nothing Khamenei or other senior leaders killed alongside him could do to escape the operation.

The US president also made clear that the broader military campaign against Iran was far from over. He said heavy and precise bombing would continue “uninterrupted throughout the week, or as long as necessary,” until Washington’s stated objective of restoring peace across the Middle East and beyond was achieved.

Reiterating earlier messages, Trump urged Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with the country’s armed forces and police, to lay down their weapons. He suggested that those who surrendered would be granted immunity, framing the appeal as an opportunity to avoid further bloodshed and enable a political transition.

In an interview with NBC News earlier on Saturday, Trump said that “most” of Iran’s senior leadership had already been eliminated. “The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone,” he said, signalling a belief that the power structure in Tehran had been fundamentally dismantled.

Israeli media outlets had reported a day earlier that Khamenei was killed in the joint operation and that his body had been recovered, though those reports were only formally confirmed after Iran’s state announcement. As Iran enters a period of official mourning amid continued strikes, uncertainty looms over the country’s political future and the next phase of the escalating regional conflict.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)