Iranian state television confirmed on March 1, 2026, that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed, saying he died at his office early on Saturday. The state broadcast announced a 40-day mourning period. Khamenei, 86, had led the Islamic Republic since 1989 and was a central figure behind Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs and its support for Shiite militias and proxy groups across the Middle East.
The announcement came amid an intense round of US and Israeli strikes on Iranian territory. US President Donald Trump earlier said on social media that Khamenei had been killed in an Israeli strike and warned Iran against retaliating, writing that the United States would use “a force that has never been seen before” if Iran hit back. Trump also urged Iranians to “take over your government.”
Iranian state media and officials reported additional high-profile casualties in the strikes, saying Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour and security official Ali Shamkhani had been killed. Israel had earlier claimed responsibility for strikes that it said targeted senior Iranian figures.
In response to Khamenei’s death, Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said the transition process could begin as early as Sunday. Larijani said an interim leadership council would be formed, comprising the president, the head of the judiciary and a jurist from the Guardian Council, to assume responsibility until the Assembly of Experts selects a new supreme leader. State television said a trio including President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was leading the transition. By law, an 88-member Assembly of Experts is charged with picking the next supreme leader.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Tehran had prepared for “all scenarios,” and warned the US and Israel that they had “crossed our red lines” and “will suffer the consequences.” The IRGC said it would soon launch “the most intense offensive operation” in its history against Israel and US bases in the region. State media claimed Iran was targeting 27 US military bases in the Middle East, Israel’s military command headquarters and a defense complex in Tel Aviv.
Explosions and air-raid reports followed. Journalists and officials reported blasts and sirens over Doha, Dubai, Manama and central Israel, and AFP reported explosions and black smoke at Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan, a site hosting US-led coalition forces. The situation raised alarm across the Gulf and prompted regional and international diplomatic responses.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced 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 Iranian nuclear facilities had been targeted in the latest attacks. The IAEA had previously assessed that Iran’s weapons-development program had been halted in 2003; Tehran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
International reactions were swift and varied. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Khamenei “will not be mourned,” blaming him for supporting proxies and orchestrating attacks overseas. The unfolding crisis prompted concern that Gulf states could recalibrate their positions, with analysts suggesting strikes on Gulf targets might push some countries to align more closely with US plans.
Political figures and opposition voices seized the moment. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s exiled shah and an opposition figure living in the US, published a piece saying he had “answered their call” to lead a transition, proposing a new constitution drafted by referendum followed by internationally supervised elections. His claim did not reflect universal support among regime critics.
Experts cautioned against expectations of rapid regime collapse. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iran specialist, told DW that aerial strikes alone rarely produce orderly regime change without an organised ground opposition or a “government in waiting.” He suggested the IRGC could benefit from the power vacuum, arguing the corps might invoke emergency powers and expand its role beyond a military force. H.A. Hellyer of RUSI observed that, absent a viable internal alternative, any new authority would likely emerge from within regime institutions and that Gulf countries might be driven to coordinate more closely with the United States in response to Iranian strikes.
The death of Khamenei and the ongoing exchanges between Tehran, Washington and Tel Aviv have plunged the region into an acute and uncertain phase. Iranian officials warned of harsh responses to any domestic unrest during the transition, and global attention turned to the Assembly of Experts and the evolving military situation as governments and international bodies sought to assess the immediate and longer-term implications.