This article is about the 2026 assassination of Ali Khamenei. For the 1981 attempt, see Attempted assassination of Ali Khamenei.

Assassination of Ali Khamenei
Part of the 2026 Iran war
Khamenei on 12 February 2026, 16 days before his assassination
Type
Location
Tehran, Iran

35°41′31″N 51°23′55″E / 35.6919°N 51.3986°E / 35.6919; 51.3986
Planned by
Commanded by Benjamin Netanyahu
Donald Trump
Target Iran Ali Khamenei and the associated leadership
Date 28 February 2026; 5 days ago (2026-02-28)
08:10 (IRST, UTC+03:30)
Executed by  Israeli Air Force
Supported by:
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Navy
Outcome Successful
Casualties 6 (including Khamenei)[1] killed

On 28 February 2026, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was assassinated as part of a series of Israeli airstrikes around Tehran aimed at high-ranking Iranian officials. Khamenei's death was confirmed by the Iranian government on 1 March.[2] His death occurred as part of a wider joint operation by the United States and Israel, using strategic locations intelligence from the US's Central Intelligence Agency to determine the whereabouts of several leaders.[3] According to retired Major-General Denis Thompson, Canadian forces from the Combined Aerospace Operations Center of the 1 Canadian Air Division also provided intelligence support for strikes during the assassination as well as intelligence support during the wider war as a whole.[4] Satellite imagery suggested that Khamenei's residence in the city was severely damaged during the attack.

Following initial Israeli reports that Khamenei had been killed in the operation, US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Khamenei was dead. After Iranian state media confirmed his death, the government announced 40 days of mourning and seven days of public holiday. The Fars News Agency announced that Khamenei's daughter, son-in-law, grandchild, and daughter-in-law had also been killed in the strikes.[5][6][7] Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, died from her injuries on 2 March.[8]

As Khamenei's death was confirmed, many Iranian civilians went out to celebrate in the streets.[9][10][11][12] Elsewhere in Iran, thousands gathered on streets in mourning[13] and stated on social media that they were mourning his death.[9] Pro-Iranian protests and riots occurred in multiple countries.[14]

A previous attempt to assassinate Khamenei by Israel during the Twelve-Day War on 15 June 2025 was vetoed by Trump, according to unnamed U.S. officials.[15]

Preparations

After the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, Khamenei became increasingly reclusive, and the bunker in his compound was so deep that its elevator took more than five minutes to reach it, making the opportunities to strike very rare.[16] For months before the attack, the CIA had been tracking the locations and patterns of Khamenei and had learned that a meeting of senior officials was to take place with the attendance of Khamenei,[16] so the strikes were planned to coincide with the meeting.[16][17] Israeli officials stated that Khamenei was seen above ground at his conspicuous official residence shortly before the assassination.[18]

Airstrikes

See also: 2026 Iran war

The strike on Khamenei's compound was unique in that it was carried out during daylight, with Israeli jets dropping 30 bombs on the site.[17] Strikes targeted strategic facilities and important Iranian officials, including Khamenei's compound, which was among those most affected by Israeli strikes in Tehran; satellite imagery suggested that the building was severely damaged.[19][20] At the same time, attacks were carried out in at least two other locations in the city to ensure the success of the operation.[16]

Initial reports

Conflicting reports

Following the initial strikes, several outlets, such as Axios and Iran International,[21] citing Israeli government sources, began reporting that Khamenei was dead.[22][23][24][25] An unnamed Israeli official said that Khamenei's body was located following the strikes, a photograph of which was reportedly shown to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[26][27] These reports around Khamenei's death were initially disputed by Iranian sources, with Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmail Baghaei stating that Khamenei was "safe and sound",[28][29] and Reuters reporting that Khamenei was transferred to a "secure location" outside of Tehran.[30] Netanyahu stated that there were "growing signs" pointing to Khamenei's death. US president Donald Trump echoed these claims, calling the then-unconfirmed assassination "justice for the people of Iran".[31] Following the statements by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Mehr once again stated that Khamenei was alive and still "steadfast and firm in commanding the field".[26]

Shortly before midnight in Iran on 28 February, an unnamed Israeli official said that Khamenei had been killed in the air strikes and his body had been recovered and identified by intelligence sources.[32] Netanyahu stated that there were signs that Khamenei might have been killed,[33] though the Iranian foreign ministry contested his claim.[34] According to Israeli officials, Khamenei's body was found in rubble.[35] Iranian sources later suggested he was "commanding the field".

Confirmation

Early on 1 March, the Iranian Supreme National Security Council,[36] as well as Iranian state media, including the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, announced that Khamenei had been killed, despite previous steadfast denial. The state declared 40 days of mourning and a seven-day national holiday.[37][38] The Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that Khamenei's daughter, son-in-law, grandchild, and daughter-in-law were also killed in the strikes on his compound.[5][39][7] On 2 March, it was reported that Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, Khamenei's wife, had also died from injuries she had sustained in the strikes.[8]

Aftermath

Main article: 2026 Iranian Supreme Leader election

As the position of Supreme Leader is appointed by the Assembly of Experts and the position of Vice Supreme Leader was abolished in 1989, Khamenei had no officially appointed successor.[40] At Khamenei's funeral, it was announced that the Interim Leadership Council would include member of the Assembly of Experts Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.[17][41] The IRGC is insistent on appointing a permanent leader swiftly.[42] Fars says they are at the "final stages" of choosing a new Supreme Leader.[43] According to The New York Times, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor.[44]

The Fars news agency states Khamenei will be buried in Mashhad.[45]

Reactions

Domestic

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian described the killing as a "great crime" and said that it would not go unanswered.[46] Civilian reaction from Iranians to his death were mixed. As his death was confirmed, some Iranian civilians went out to celebrate in the streets.[9][10][11][12] Following the initial announcements of Khamenei's death, celebrations were heard in the capital, and videos of celebrations in cities like Isfahan, Karaj, Kermanshah, Qazvin, Sanandaj, Shiraz, and Izeh circulated online. In Dehloran, people were filmed cheering as a statue of Khamenei was toppled.[47][21][48] Security forces were also deployed to prevent an uprising, with footage showing them opening fire on celebrants in the streets.[49][50]

President Trump announces the death of Ali Khamenei, Mar-a-Lago, on 1 March 2026.

Supporters of Khamenei mourned his death near the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad; videos show several people crying and wailing as others appear collapsed on the floor in grief.[51] Photos also show Iranians mourning his death while holding portraits of him in Enqelab Square, Tehran.[52] Videos were reported showing thousands of people in Yasuj and Isfahan[53] mourning his death, with similar scenes being reported in Shiraz and the province of Lorestan.[54][55] The red Shia flag of revenge was raised on the Jamkaran Mosque.[56]

Maryam Rajavi, co-leader of the dissident group MEK, released a statement on her website hailing the death of Khamenei as the "end of religious tyranny" and the "collapse of the Velayat-e Faqih regime", calling for a transitional government that excludes mullahs and monarchists, and saying that MEK does not seek foreign intervention in Iran.[57]

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, eldest son of the last shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and noted dissident against the Islamic Republic regime, unilaterally declared the "end of the Islamic Republic" shortly following Khamenei's death.[58][59] Pahlavi later said Khamenei's death is not "the end" and called on Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic by preparing for "widespread and decisive presence in the streets."[60]

International

See also: 2026 Iranian diaspora protests § Following the Israeli–United States strikes on Iran, and Reactions to the 2026 Iran war

Reports of Khamenei's assassination were followed by demonstrations in a number of countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Reactions varied by location: in some cities, people gathered for mourning rallies and protests against the United States and Israel, while in others smaller groups assembled to express support for the strikes.[61][62][63] Reports of celebrations of Khamenei's death were censored in China.[64]

Across the United States, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in cities including Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston, to protest the U.S.–Israeli strikes.[65][66][67]

In India, thousands nationwide joined protests in outcry. Prayer meetings and widespread demonstrations were organized by members of Shia Muslim communities in Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi and other areas. Some participants carryied portraits of Khamenei and Iranian flags, and were condemning the attacks.[68][69][62] The MMU and various communities launched widespread protests and three-day mourning periods in solidarity with Iran.[70]

In Bangladesh, a demonstration organized by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami condemned Khamenei's killing and called for OIC intervention.[71] In Greece, over 1,300 protesters, rallied in Athens with banners reading "Hands off Iran."[72] In Baghdad, demonstrators attempted to approach the U.S. Embassy, leading to clashes with security forces.[73][74] Anti-war protests were held in Rabat, Morocco,[75] while in Kano, Nigeria, Shia Muslims waved Iranian and Palestinian flags and decried U.S. and Israeli actions.[76]

In Pakistan, many condemned the strikes that killed Khamenei and expressing solidarity with Iran. Demonstrators gathered in major cities voiced opposition to the assassination and calling out perceived government complicity. Some protests in Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan escalated into clashes with security forces, resulting in casualties and prompting temporary curfews and military deployment.[77][78][79]

Smaller anti-war demonstrations were also reported in South Korea, Spain, Turkey, and United Kingdom.[62]

State actors

  • Afghanistan: Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi denounced the aggression against Iran and extended condolences to the Iranian government and people over the targeting of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[80]
  • Argentina: President Javier Milei praised the Israeli–United States military operations resulting in Khamenei's "elimination", adding that Khamenei "was one of the most evil, violent, and cruel persons ever seen in the history of humankind."[81] Milei further blamed Khamenei for Iran's sponsoring of terrorism and the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, adding that Argentina would continue to pursue others responsible for the attack and make them pay with their freedom or their lives.[81] Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said that Iran had orchestrated the AMIA bombing by proxy via Hezbollah operatives, and added that "[he] hope[d] that Khamenei's death and the potential collapse of the Islamic government will bring relief to the families of the AMIA victims."[82]
  • Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared that Khamenei "will not be mourned", decrying him as responsible for Iran's missile programs, arming proxies, and attacking Iranian civilians.[83]
  • Austria: Foreign Ministry released an official statement calling the death of Ali Khamenei "the opening of a window for the people of Iran." In the statement, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote: "The people of Iran have suffered for far too long under the rule of the violent regime of the Mullahs. The cycle of violence must now end so that the Middle East can finally achieve stability and peace."[84]
  • Armenia: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed condolences to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials in joint US-Israeli strikes on the country.[85][86]
  • Azerbaijan: President Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences in a letter to President Masoud Pezeshkian without mentioning the causes. He noted that Khamenei "held a special place in the political and religious life of his country", calling his death "a great loss for Iran".[87][88]
  • Bangladesh: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said the government is "saddened to learn" that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in a targeted attack which is a violation of international law and norms.[89]
  • Belarus: President Alexander Lukashenko offered condolences to the Iranian government and condemned Khamenei's assassination as "treacherous", further conveying sympathies to the Iranian government "on behalf of Belarusian people."[90]
  • Canada: While Prime Minister Mark Carney was supportive of the strikes, including the one that killed Khamenei, he denied any Canadian involvement in the strikes.[91] However, according to retired Major-General Denis Thompson, who cited sources from within CENTCOM, Canadian forces from the Combined Aerospace Operations Center have been providing intelligence support for strikes during the war.[92]
  • China: China said that it "firmly opposes and strongly condemns" the killing of Khamenei, calling it "a serious violation of Iran's sovereignty and security, a trampling on the aims and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations."[93] Wang Yi, the foreign minister, said that the "blatant killing of a sovereign leader and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable" in a call with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister.[94]
  • Chad: President Mahamat Déby offered his condolences to the Islamic Republic of Iran following the announcement of the death of its supreme leader. He said that he was sending his "most sincere and heartfelt condolences" for the killing of Khamenei and that he shared "the pain of the Iranian nation in the face of this difficult ordeal".[95]
  • Estonia: Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna characterized the death of Ayatollah Khamenei as a strategic blow to the Russia–Iran alliance.[96]
  • European Union: Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Khamenei's death was "a defining moment in Iran's history", and added: "What comes next is uncertain. But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape". European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said that "with Khamenei gone, there is renewed hope for the people of Iran. We must ensure that the future is theirs to claim and shape".[97]
  • Finland: Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen posted on X that "This opens a window for long-awaited change in the Middle East. Iran's dictatorship has long been a shackle on its own citizens and an obstacle to regional peace", and added "Iran has provided Russia with drones and missiles used in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Its non-compliance with nuclear non-proliferation agreements has been a constant threat to world peace".[98]
  • Iraq: Government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi announced three days of mourning after the assassination.[99] Iraqi opposition leader and Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr expressed his "sadness and sorrow" on X after Khamenei's death.[100] Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also offered condolences to the Iranian people and Muslims worldwide, calling on Iranians to preserve unity and "thwart the aggressors' sinister goals".[101]
  • Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to report and celebrate the assassination, stating "for 47 years, the Ayatollah regime has chanted 'Death to Israel' and 'Death to America.' It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and slaughtered its own people."[102] Defense Minister Israel Katz celebrated the killing, stating "he who acted to destroy Israel – has been destroyed ... Justice has been served, and the axis of evil has suffered a mortal blow."[95]
  • Latvia: Foreign Minister Baiba Braže reacted to the death of Ali Khamenei by saying the world would not mourn him, calling it a relief for the Iranian people and expressing hope for a future free of oppression.[103]
  • Lithuania: Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys issued a statement regarding the death of Ali Khamenei, stating that the "hope for [a] better future, for [the] Iranian people — but also for Israelis and all of the Middle East — seems to have come closer."[103]
  • Malaysia: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Khamenei's assassination but recommended that Iran avoid further escalation.[104]
  • North Korea: North Korea condemned the attack as an "illegal act of aggression", calling it "shameless and gangster-like conduct" by the United States and Israel, which it claimed had chosen to "abuse military force to fulfill their selfish and hegemonic ambitions."[93]
  • Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences about "the martyrdom of His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei" and stood with the Iranian people in their "grief and sorrow."[95]
  • Russia: President Vladimir Putin called the assassination a "cynical murder". He sent his condolences to Pezeshkian and said that "Khamenei's assassination is a violation of all standards of human morality and international law."[105]
  • Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that he was saddened by Khamenei's death and that Turkey will continue diplomatic efforts to "regain peace and stability".[106]
  • Ukraine: The official X account of Ukraine celebrated Khamenei's death, writing that "nothing beats the death of a dictator".[102]
  • United Kingdom: Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News that "few people will mourn" Khamenei's death, describing him as the leader of an evil regime that sponsored terrorist attacks in the West. Reactions among opposition figures were split, with some celebrating Khamenei's killing and others alleging that it violated international law.[107]
  • United States: President Donald Trump, commenting on Khamenei's death, called him "one of the most evil people in history" and announced that the US would continue to bomb Iran. Some members of Congress from the Democratic Party, including Senator John Fetterman, reacted positively to the announcement, while many from the Republican Party, such as Representative Tom Emmer, cheered Trump's post.[108]

Non-state actors

  • Hamas: Hamas released a statement mourning "the passing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He provided all forms of political, diplomatic and military support to our people, our cause, and our resistance", also stating that "the US and the fascist occupation government [Israel] bear full responsibility for this blatant aggression and heinous crime against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as for its serious repercussions on the security and stability of the region." The al-Qassam Brigades praised Khamenei as the "main supporter of the Resistance Axis and its mujahideen."[93]
  • Hezbollah: Secretary-General Naim Qassem condemned the assassination as "the height of crime" and vowed to retaliate and "undertake our duty of confronting the aggression," stating that Hezbollah would not leave "the field of honor and resistance."[109] Hezbollah subsequently joined the war by launching attacks on northern Israel.[110]
  • Houthis: The political leadership extended its "sincere condolences and deepest sympathy" to the Iranian people.[111]
  • Kurdistan Region: President Nechirvan Barzani stated that "we extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the people, government, and leadership of Iran on the martyrdom of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a prominent religious scholar; we sympathize and share in their grief, we pray to Almighty God to bless his soul with His mercy and kindness and to grant patience and comfort to everyone."[112]
  • Palestinian Islamic Jihad: PIJ condemned the killing as a "war crime" and a "treacherous and malicious attack."[93]

Analysts

The Economist described the killing of Khamenei as an "enormous success" for the United States and Israel, noting that a comparable effort to kill Saddam Hussein during the 2003 invasion of Iraq had taken nine months.[113] It also suggested Khamenei's assassination, framed within Shia concepts of martyrdom, may actually benefit the regime rather than weaken it.[114] Harlan Ullman, chairman of the strategic advisory Killowen Group and adviser to the Atlantic Council has called assassination of Khamenei a "big mistake", writing that US has made him a "martyr".[115][116]

Julian Borger of the Guardian warns of a "Libya-style collapse" where a fractured, multi-ethnic Iran leads to a massive security vacuum, leading to separatist movements and creating a refugee crisis for the West.[117]

The New York Times wrote that by killing Khamenei, Israel had "crossed a new Rubicon, killing the head of state of a sovereign country—something it had shied away from doing early in the war last June, according to two ... Israeli defense officials."[18] The Atlantic framed the killing of Khamenei as the culmination of a long internal decay, arguing that his regime's collapse stemmed less from foreign firepower than from rot within. According to Graeme Wood, "the best-planned defenses don't count for much if the people you trust to run them are ready to sell you out," casting Khamenei as ultimately undone by betrayal bred by his own system.[118]

Iran International cast the killing of Khamenei as the long-awaited end of "the dictator a nation longed to see gone", framing his death as the closing of an era defined by repression, ideological rigidity, and mass bloodshed, especially the January 2026 massacre. In this telling, his assassination lands at a moment of profound internal crisis, with a hollowed-out system facing succession struggles, public fury, and possible collapse, making his death less a geopolitical shock than the culmination of accumulated domestic illegitimacy.[119] In an article for The Atlantic, Karim Sadjadpour described Khamenei as a rigid guardian of a revolution increasingly disconnected from much of Iranian society, arguing that his anti-Americanism was rooted more in regime preservation than ideology. He concluded by noting the symbolic irony that, after decades defined by hostility toward the United States and Israel, Khamenei was killed in a strike by those same adversaries.[120]

Some analysts argue that Khamenei's death may serve as a powerful symbol for Iran's leadership, uniting supporters and strengthening ideological commitment in the face of external attack.[121][122][123] Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group (ICG) observes that the Khamenei's assassination removes the most pragmatic decision-maker in the system, potentially closing the door on nuclear diplomacy and empowering less predictable hardliners.[124]

Omani mediators have observed that prior to the strike, a peace deal was within reach including Iranian concessions on uranium stockpiles. The assassination is seen by some as a deliberate sabotage of these diplomatic channels. It has also noted that this could bolster hardline elements and reduce prospects for rapid regime change rather than achieving strategic goals for the U.S. and Israel, and will contribute to further regional instability.[125][126]

Some legal and policy analysts have criticized his assassination as a violation of international law and that it risk normalizing the deliberate killing of foreign leaders.[127][128]

See also

References

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