BREAKING: Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei killed in US– Israel airstrikes

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has been killed in joint US–Israeli airstrikes on Tehran earlier today, although conflicting accounts continue to surface.

U.S. President Donald Trump said, “We feel certain” that Khamenei is dead, adding, “We feel that is correct.” A U.S. official was also said  Khamenei and between five to ten top Iranian leaders were killed in the initial Israeli strike.

However, Iranian authorities earlier rejected the claim, maintaining that Khamenei was safe and not in Tehran at the time of the airstrikes. Despite those assurances, the Supreme Leader has not appeared publicly or released any video statements since the strikes began.

Separate reports indicate that at least four senior officials of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry were killed in Saturday’s air raids. It was also reported that Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to the Supreme Leader, was among those killed, alongside several commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Two Israeli sources familiar with the matter reportedly confirmed that Khamenei was killed in the strikes. One source claimed Israel had obtained a photograph of Ayatollah Khamenei’s body, while another said an official announcement was being prepared.

Earlier in the evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message that there were strong indications Khamenei was “no longer with us.”

President Trump further stated that Iran could take several years to recover from the joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. In a phone conversation with a reporter, he said he could sustain the campaign for as long as he wanted or end it within days.

He warned that the United States would strike again if Iran attempted to rebuild its capabilities, accusing Tehran of stepping back from nuclear negotiations and concluding that it was not seriously pursuing an agreement. Trump also described his earlier call with Netanyahu as positive.

Reacting to the developments, Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, issued a strong warning on X, writing: “We will make the Zionist criminals and the vile Americans regret it.” He added, “The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will deliver an unforgettable lesson to the hell-bound oppressors of the international order.”