United States President Donald Trump has declared that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead.
Following a massive joint military operation by the United States and Israel, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, Trump stated that the 86-year-old leader was killed in a precision strike on his secure compound in Tehran.
While Trump described this as a “day of justice,” Iranian state media has issued conflicting reports, though satellite imagery confirms catastrophic damage to the regime’s central command.
Trump broke the news via Truth Social and later in an interview with NBC News, where he expressed high confidence that Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei is dead.
The President emphasized that the operation was the result of “highly sophisticated tracking systems” and close coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the President, the fall of the Supreme Leader represents the “single greatest chance” for the Iranian people to reclaim their sovereignty.
He said: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, who have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.
“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.
“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country. We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us.
“As I said last night, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!” Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves.
“That process should soon start in that, not only the death of Khamenei but the Country has been, in only one day, very much destroyed and, even, obliterated. The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has “eliminated” the Iranian regime’s defence leadership in what it calls its “opening salvo” of attacks.
According to a social media post, this includes Ali Shamkhani, advisor for security affairs, Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, minister of defence.
In its post, the IDF shares images and profiles of these three officials, and others it claims to have eliminated.
There is no mention of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said there were “growing signs” he was “gone”.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Khamenei, who has been the supreme leader since 1989, is the most powerful figure in Iran.
He is head of state and commander-in-chief.
He also has authority over the national police and the morality police.
Khamenei controls the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is in charge of internal security, and its volunteer wing, the Basij Resistance Force – used to quell dissent in Iran.
