Israeli media reported that Trump and the Israeli prime minister were sent images of the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US President Donald Trump (left) declares that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead – Photo: AFP
The US President confirms that Iran’s Supreme Leader has been killed.
On February 28th, or the early morning of March 1st (Vietnam time), US President Donald Trump announced that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had died following an unprecedented attack by the US and Israel.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil men in history, is dead. This is not only justice for the Iranian people, but for all great Americans,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, urging people to seize the opportunity to overthrow the current Iranian regime.
In an interview with NBC, the American leader also said that he believed reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed were “accurate.” “Iran’s Supreme Leader was not immune to our extremely sophisticated intelligence and surveillance systems.”
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there were many signs indicating that Khamenei “is no longer alive.”
According to Israeli media, a photograph of Khamenei’s body was shown to Trump and Netanyahu.
“Senior Israeli officials have been informed of Khamenei’s death. His body was found in the rubble of his private residence,” Kan TV reported.
There has been no confirmation of Khamenei’s death from Tehran yet. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC that the country’s Supreme Leader was still alive.
Trump also called on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and police to join the people in “bringing the country back to its glory days.” “That process will soon begin, because not only has Khamenei’s death devastated Iran, but the country has been destroyed and even wiped out in a single day,” he said.
War Secretary Hegseth: America’s enemies will be destroyed.
US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth said on February 28 that the large-scale attack by the US and Israel on Iran was a message that those who harm Americans must pay the price.
“If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world, as Iran has done, then we will hunt you down and kill you,” Hegseth wrote on social media platform X.
US warns of further attacks.
However, the US President also warned that Washington could continue to attack Iran. “Intense and precise bombing… will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or for as long as necessary to achieve the goal of peace throughout the Middle East.”
Contrary to Trump’s claims, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim and Mehr news agencies reported that Khamenei remained “steadfast and firm in commanding the battlefield.”
Another Israeli attack on Iran.
The Israeli Air Force announced it had completed another strike targeting ballistic missile systems and air defense systems in western and central Iran.
One of the targets was a missile launch site in the central Qom region, which, according to the announcement, would severely damage Iran’s “most critical strike capability” and would help deter attacks on Israel.
Iranian media reports: descendants of Khamenei killed.
The Fars news agency, which is linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, reported that the US and Israeli attack killed the daughter, son-in-law, and grandson of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian officials and state media have so far not confirmed reports that Khamenei has been killed. His office has called the reports of his death “psychological warfare.”
Iran continues to retaliate fiercely.
In the early hours of March 1st, Vietnam time, Iran targeted Israeli bases and the Ministry of Defense in its latest retaliatory attack.
According to AFP, explosions were heard in the capital Tel Aviv, as well as in Jerusalem in central Israel and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Israel confirmed one person was killed and 21 injured in the capital Tel Aviv when Tehran launched a barrage of missiles.
Iran is also attacking US bases in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates said 137 missiles and 209 drones were launched from Iran into its territory. UAE media reported that at least four people were injured in an incident at Dubai airport.
UN leaders criticize, Russia condemns, China ‘shocked’.
At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the escalation of tensions in the Middle East following the preemptive attack by Israel and the United States on Iran.
“Military action risks triggering a chain reaction that no one can control in the world’s most unstable region,” AFP quoted Guterres as saying, urging all parties to exercise restraint.
At the meeting, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain, as well as Syria and Jordan, all condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks, which targeted US bases across the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Russia criticized Iran for being “stabbed in the back” by the attack despite its willingness to negotiate. China was also “shocked” by the attack on Iran.
IAEA to hold meeting on Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold an emergency meeting on February 2-3 to discuss the situation in Iran following the US and Israeli attack.
The meeting was held at the request of Russia.
To date, diplomats say there is no indication that Iranian nuclear facilities were attacked in the February 28 airstrike.
Prior to this attack, the US had criticized Iran for wanting to enrich uranium to build nuclear weapons. Midway through last year, the US attack targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities.
