Tehran / Washington / Jerusalem — March 1, 2026 — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — the most powerful clerical figure in the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades — was killed in a joint military offensive by the United States and Israel, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday. The attacks, launched Saturday under the codename “Operation Epic Fury,” constitute a historic escalation in the long-standing hostilities between Tehran, Washington, and Jerusalem.

The strike targeted Khamenei’s Tehran compound and key military facilities after weeks of planning by U.S. and Israeli intelligence. Satellite imagery shows extensive devastation to leadership command centers. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has declared 40 days of national mourning and a week of public holidays in response to the loss.

Trump and Netanyahu Confirm Operation

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who authorized the offensive, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both publicly asserted that Khamenei was eliminated during the strikes. Trump described the leader as “one of the most evil people in history” and framed the operation as a necessary blow to destabilizing influences in the region.

Officials in Jerusalem stressed that the campaign was aimed at dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities and dismantling the regime’s military infrastructure. Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise against their government, calling the destruction of the regime’s leadership the central objective of the strike series.

Wider Leadership Losses and Regional Fallout

Alongside Khamenei, senior Iranian figures — including high-ranking military commanders and advisors — were reportedly killed in the bombardments. Israeli forces struck multiple strategic sites in Tehran and across Iran, causing significant damage to defense installations. Iran, in turn, launched missile and drone counter-attacks on U.S. bases across the Gulf and on Israeli territory, leading to casualties and infrastructure damage in Bahrain, the UAE, and parts of Israel.

Iran’s interim leadership council, appointed under constitutional provisions, has assumed control, but analysts warn that the vacuum left by Khamenei’s death heightens the risk of internal fracturing and violent escalation.

Humanitarian Toll and Global Repercussions

Civilian casualties have been reported, including the confirmed deaths of children in a southern Iranian city school following airstrikes, according to local judicial sources. Conflict escalation has also disrupted global energy markets, with concerns mounting over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and broader impacts on oil supply chains.

The United Nations and several global capitals have urged restraint to prevent a regional conflagration. Yet Tehran’s government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, has vowed revenge and declared reciprocal strikes against U.S. and Israeli assets a national duty, signaling the potential for protracted conflict.

What Comes Next

With one of the most influential theocratic figures in modern Middle Eastern history now dead, the future trajectory of Iran’s domestic governance, nuclear policy, and its network of regional alliances — including groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza — is intensely uncertain. Global markets, diplomatic channels, and military postures worldwide are adjusting to the implication that a new and potentially longer confrontation may be unfolding.