Iranian state media say country’s supreme leader is dead
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BY NEWS BLEND 360
Updated 9:29 PM EST, February 28, 2026
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (NB360) — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei passed away following a significant attack by Israel and the United States, as confirmed by Iranian state media early Sunday. President Donald Trump had earlier announced the death, describing it as Iranians' “greatest chance” to “reclaim” their country.
Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency did not specify a cause of death for the 86-year-old. The assassination cast uncertainty over the future of the Islamic Republic and heightened the risk of regional instability.
“Khamenei, one of the most malevolent figures in history, is dead,” Trump stated in a social media post. He cautioned about “heavy and precise bombing” that he claimed would persist throughout the week and beyond, as part of a deadly assault the U.S. has justified as vital to dismantle the country’s nuclear capabilities.
The attack marked a dramatic new phase in U.S. involvement in Iran, bearing the potential for retaliatory violence and a broader conflict, and demonstrated a striking display of military power by an American president who entered office on an “America First” agenda and promised to avoid “endless wars.”
If verified, Khamenei’s killing during the second Trump administration assault on Iran in eight months seemed certain to create a leadership vacuum due to the lack of a known successor and the fact that the 86-year-old supreme leader had the ultimate authority on all major policies during his long tenure. He led Iran’s clerical establishment and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the two primary power centers in the ruling theocracy.
As news of the death emerged, eyewitnesses in Tehran told The Associated Press that some residents were celebrating, blowing whistles and expressing joy.
Iran, which responded to the strikes with its own counterassault, warned of retribution.
Iran strikes US bases in Mideast
In response to U.S. and Israeli attacks on its territory, Iran has retaliated after unsuccessful negotiations with the U.S. regarding its nuclear program. It has targeted American bases throughout the Middle East, including those in nearby Gulf monarchies, and has pledged to persist with its attacks.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said Saturday that Israel and America will “regret their actions.”
“The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will deliver an unforgettable lesson to the hellish international oppressors,” Larijani posted on X.
Strikes followed months of rising tensions
The joint U.S.-Israel operation, which officials say had been planned for months, occurred on Saturday during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan and at the beginning of the Iranian workweek. It came after stalled negotiations and warnings from Trump, who last year highlighted his administration’s success in crippling the country’s nuclear program but still deemed the latest actions necessary to prevent its potential revival.
Approximately 12 hours after the attacks commenced, the U.S. military reported no U.S. casualties and minimal damage at U.S. bases despite “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.” It stated that targets in Iran included Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.
US, Israel strike locations across Iran
Israel announced that it had killed the commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's defense minister, and the secretary of the Iranian Security Council, who was a close adviser to Khamenei.
Khamenei “could not evade our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems, and with close cooperation with Israel, there was nothing he or the other leaders killed alongside him could do,” Trump stated. “This is the greatest opportunity for the Iranian people to reclaim their Country.”
An Iranian diplomat informed the United Nations Security Council that the strikes resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties, both killed and wounded. In response, Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. military bases in the region, with exchanges of fire continuing into the night.
Some of the initial strikes on Iran seemed to target areas near Khamenei's offices, the second leader of the Islamic Republic following Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Israeli officials, followed by Trump, confirmed his death.
Democrats criticized Trump for taking action without congressional approval. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration had briefed several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress beforehand.
The strikes followed unsuccessful nuclear talks
Tensions have escalated recently as the Trump administration assembled the largest deployment of American warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades. The president emphasized his desire for a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program while the nation faced increasing unrest following widespread protests.
Although Trump declared the Iranian nuclear program destroyed in strikes last year, the country was reconstructing lost infrastructure, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke anonymously about Trump’s decision-making. The official stated that intelligence indicated Iran had developed the ability to produce high-quality centrifuges, a crucial step in creating the highly enriched uranium needed for weapons.
In response to the latest strikes, Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. The Israeli military reported that Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel, many of which were intercepted. The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that a woman in the Tel Aviv area died from injuries sustained in an Iranian missile attack.
At least three explosions were heard Saturday evening near the Intelligence Ministry building in northern Tehran, witnesses said, adding that air defense systems had begun operating there. Israel’s military said it had begun new strikes against missile launchers and aerial defense systems in central Iran.
In southern Iran, at least 115 people were reported killed when a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, the local governor told Iranian state TV. U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said he was “aware of reports” that a girls’ school was struck and that officials were looking into them.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said at least 15 people were killed in the southwest, quoting the governor of the Lamerd region, Ali Alizadeh, as saying a sports hall, two residential areas and a hall near a school were hit.
Flights across the Middle East were disrupted, and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates’ commercial capital. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE capital killed one person, state media said.
Attack was coordinated between Israel and US
Israel announced that the operation had been in planning for months alongside the United States. Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir stated that Air Force pilots targeted "hundreds of locations across Iran."
The targets in Israel's campaign included Iran's military, government symbols, and intelligence locations, according to an official familiar with the operation who requested anonymity to discuss confidential details about the attack.
On Saturday, Trump admitted that there could be American casualties, noting that "such occurrences are common in war." He expressed his intention to "obliterate" the Iranian navy and dismantle regional proxies backed by Tehran. He urged the paramilitary Iranian Revolutionary Guard to disarm, offering immunity to members or warning of "certain death" if they refused.
Iran expressed its desire to avoid war but insisted on its right to enrich uranium.
Iran claimed it had not enriched uranium since June, but it has prevented international inspectors from accessing the sites bombed by the U.S. Satellite images analyzed by AP have revealed new activity at two of these sites, indicating that Iran is attempting to evaluate and possibly recover materials.
Trump had considered military action but refrained following Iran's recent suppression of protests, which began over economic issues and expanded into a nationwide movement against the ruling clerics.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency reported confirming over 7,000 deaths in the crackdown and is investigating thousands more. The government has acknowledged over 3,000 fatalities.
Effects could extend to markets and other countries
The strikes could disrupt global markets, especially if Iran renders the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. In 2025, one-third of the world's oil exports transported by sea passed through this strait.
Saudi Arabia reported that Iran targeted its capital and eastern region in an attack that was successfully repelled. Bahrain stated that a missile attack aimed at the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom resulted in damage to three buildings in the capital, Manama, and Muharraq city due to drone strikes and debris from an intercepted missile.
Kuwait’s civil aviation authority reported that a drone targeted the main international airport, injuring several employees. According to Kuwait’s state-run news agency, three troops were injured by shrapnel from strikes that hit the Ali Al-Salem air base. Explosions were also heard in Qatar. Jordan announced it had "dealt with" 49 drones and ballistic missiles.
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