Khamenei killed in US-Israeli attack, fulfilled 'wish for martyrdom in Ramadan', says Iran

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatullah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli attack yesterday, Iranian media have confirmed.

"In the name of God, the noble soul of Imam Khamenei, the leader of the great nation of Iran, the freedom seekers of the world and the Islamic nations, has joined the highest paradise and reached his long-cherished wish of martyrdom in the holy month of Ramadan," said an announcement aired on Iranian state television.

"Today, Iran, the Islamic nations and freedom seekers of the world are grieving the evil attacks by the criminal Americans and wicked Zionists," it said, adding that his death would only strengthen Iran's resolve to defend itself against US-Israeli attacks.

"Undoubtedly, the martyrdom of a personality of such great stature will begin a great uprising in the fight against world oppressors," it said.

Khamenei's daughter and two other family members were also killed in the strikes.

The Iranian government has meanwhile declared 40 days of public mourning.

The announcement came hours after both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump said Khamenei was killed in joint US-Israeli air strikes, with Trump stating the Iranian cleric "was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems".

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, in a statement, said Khamenei’s “martyrdom at the hands of the most vicious terrorists and executioners of humanity is a sign of the legitimacy of this great leader and the acceptance of his sincere services”.

"The Iranian nation’s hand of revenge... will not let them go," the IRGC was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The IRGC will stand “firm in confronting domestic and foreign conspiracies,” the statement said.

In an immediate reaction, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (Mapim) expressed solidarity to the government and people of Iran.

"The passing of His Eminence is not merely the loss of a national leader, it is a moment that will resonate across the Muslim world and the international community. 

"Mapim firmly states that the US and Israel will bear full responsibility for this assassination and for any consequences arising from the escalation of conflict, humanitarian suffering, regional instability, and threats to global security that may follow," said Mapim president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid.

The man who replaced Khomeini

Khamenei became the top leader following the death of Ayatullah Khomeini in 1989, who led the 1979 revolution that toppled the US-backed Shah and ensured Iran's survival during eight years of war with Iraq, then led by Saddam Hussein and supported by US and Western powers.

His death comes amid a series of losses of top leaders and allies in recent years for Iran.

These include Qasem Soleimani, one of the most respected Iranian generals, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020.

In May 2024, President Ebrahim Raisi and several key government ministers were killed in a helicopter crash.

This was followed by the Israeli assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran two months later, and then the killing of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an Israeli bombing campaign in Lebanon.

Khamenei, 86, was born in the city of Mashhad, and was among the inner circle of the late Khomeini, playing a vital role in the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

He was only the second supreme leader in the 47-year-old Islamic Republic, having served as president during the crucial years of 1981 to 1989, when Iran was locked in a deadly war with Saddam's Iraq.