Iranian state television announced on March 1, 2026, that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed, saying he died at his office early that Saturday and declaring a 40-day period of mourning. Khamenei, 86, had led the Islamic Republic since 1989 and was widely seen as a driving force behind Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear activities and its support for Shiite militias and proxy groups across the Middle East.
The announcement came amid a heavy wave of strikes on Iranian territory attributed to the United States and Israel. US President Donald Trump posted on social media that Khamenei had been killed in an Israeli strike, warning Tehran against retaliation and saying the United States would use ‘a force that has never been seen before’ if Iran responded. Trump also urged Iranians to ‘take over your government.’
Iranian state media and officials reported further high-profile deaths in the attacks, naming Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour and security official Ali Shamkhani among the casualties. Israel had earlier claimed responsibility for strikes it said were aimed at senior Iranian figures.
Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said the transition process could begin as soon as Sunday. He said an interim leadership council — composed of the president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council — would assume responsibilities until the Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body by law, selects a new supreme leader. State television identified a trio including President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei as leading the transition.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that Tehran had prepared for ‘all scenarios,’ saying the US and Israel had ‘crossed our red lines’ and ‘will suffer the consequences.’ The IRGC vowed to mount ‘the most intense offensive operation’ in its history against Israel and US bases across the region. State media claimed targets included 27 US military bases in the Middle East, Israel’s military command headquarters and a defense complex in Tel Aviv.
Following the announcement, reports of explosions and air-raid sirens came from across the region. Journalists and officials reported blasts and alerts over Doha, Dubai, Manama and parts of Israel. AFP reported explosions and black smoke at Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan, a location hosting US-led coalition forces. The incidents raised alarm throughout the Gulf and prompted diplomatic responses from regional and international actors.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called a special session of its Board of Governors at the request of Iran and Russia to address the strikes by the US and Israel. It was not immediately clear whether any Iranian nuclear facilities were hit. The IAEA had previously assessed that Iran’s weapons-development efforts were halted in 2003; Tehran maintains its nuclear program is intended for civilian use.
International reactions were mixed. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Khamenei ‘will not be mourned,’ accusing him of backing proxies and enabling attacks abroad. Analysts warned the crisis could prompt Gulf states to rethink alignments, with the possibility that strikes on regional targets might push some countries closer to US positions.
Opposition figures and exiled critics seized the moment. Reza Pahlavi, the exiled shah’s son, published a piece saying he had ‘answered their call’ to lead a transition, proposing a new constitution drafted by referendum and internationally supervised elections; his bid did not command unanimous support among regime opponents.
Outside analysts cautioned that aerial strikes alone rarely produce orderly regime change. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iran specialist, told DW that without an organized ground opposition or a ‘government in waiting’ regime collapse was unlikely, and that the IRGC could exploit any power vacuum by invoking emergency measures and expanding its role. H.A. Hellyer of RUSI said that, in the absence of a viable internal alternative, new authority would most likely arise from existing regime institutions and that Gulf states might coordinate more closely with the United States.
Khamenei’s reported death and the ensuing exchanges among Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv have pushed the region into a volatile and uncertain phase. Iranian officials warned of stern responses to any domestic unrest during the transition, while international attention focused on the Assembly of Experts and unfolding military developments as governments and organizations sought to assess both immediate and longer-term consequences.