LAST UPDATE
|
3 hrs ago
Trump and senior officials following the US operation in an image released by The White House. White House
White House
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, backing up an earlier claim by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The post came following a day of airstrikes by the US and Israel and retaliatory action by Iran but the lack of a public appearance by Khamenei had led to speculation that he had been killed in an airstrike this morning.
Trump’s social media post continued:
“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”
Trump’s post came hours after a similar claim by Netanyahu which was made in a television address.
“This morning, in a powerful surprise strike, the compound of the tyrant Ali Khamenei was destroyed in the heart of Tehran… and there are many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive,” Netanyahu said.
Two Israeli television networks, Channel 12 and Kan, have reported that a photograph of Khamenei’s body had been shown to Trump and Netanyahu.
“Senior Israeli officials were informed of Khamenei’s elimination. His body was recovered from the rubble of his compound,” reported public broadcaster Kan.
Earlier today, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei had said on ABC News that both Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were “safe and sound”.
There has been no official response from Tehran following Trump’s announcement of the death of Khamenei.
Cheers could be heard on Tehran’s streets after reports of the death of Khamenei, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the Pasteur district where he usually resides, witnesses told AFP.
The 86-year-old Khamenei has been Iran’s highest political and religious authority since 1989.
He was the second person to hold the position of supreme leader, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who took power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Khamenei presided over one of the most repressive regimes in the world and had long been a hated figure for most Iranians, with this year’s recent mass protests calling for his downfall.
An image showing multiple destroyed or heavily damaged structures within the Tehran complex of Iran’s supreme leader. Soar Atlas
Soar Atlas
The targeting of Khamenei was part of a wave of strikes against targets in Iran carried out by the US and Israel.
Iranian officials have said that over 200 people have died in Iran as a result of the attacks, a figure also reported by the Iranian Red Crescent.
After initial strikes on Iran by both the US and Israel, Iran vowed to respond decisively. It subsequently launched missile attacks on Gulf nations hosting US military bases: Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan.
Many of the missiles and drones were intercepted, but smoke poured from US bases in Abu Dhabi and Manama, home of the American navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The UAE reported one civilian dead and damage from missiles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
During his televised address, Netanyahu also addressed the Iranian people, stating that the strikes will help them “unshackle themselves from tyranny”.
“Take to the streets en masse” and “get the job done”, Netanyahu said.
It is “high time you come together” and “unite for a historic mission”, he added.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured in March 2025. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Many Gulf nations have closed their airspace and flights have been cancelled to and from many of the implicated countries.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said online, “Israel is prepared to strike in Iran as much as required” after months of preparation.
The Iranian Red Crescent reported this evening that at least 201 people were killed and 747 wounded in the strikes by the US and Israel against Iran.
The organisation said “24 (of Iran’s 31) provinces were affected and the Red Crescent is in a state of alert”, in a statement published by the ISNA news agency. This is the first official Iranian toll from the strikes.
The largest reported number of casualties is allegedly from a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran, where over 85 people have been killed, according to Iranian state media.
Irish citizens have been warned by the embassy not to travel to the Gulf region until further notice “in light of the current security situation”.
‘Bombs will be dropping everywhere’
Trump’s video confirming the attack. Truth Social
Truth Social
As the morning broke in the Middle East, news of the air strikes was confirmed first by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and then by Trump, who confirmed it in a video posted on his Truth Social account
“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” Trump said.
In an eight-minute video, Trump outlined a broad set of objectives from the operation, urging the Iranian people to “take over your government” and pledging US support “with overwhelming strength and devastating force.”
“To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death. So lay down your arms,” Trump said.
“Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.”
Israel
After Trump’s message, Netanyahu confirmed this morning that Israel had joined the United States in the attack on Iran.
“My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, just an hour ago, Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran,” Netanyahu said in a post on social media.
This murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity. Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.
Israel’s defence ministry had earlier said it had launched a “pre-emptive strike” against Iran.
”The State of Israel has launched a preemptive strike against Iran. Defence Minister Israel Katz has declared a special and immediate state of emergency throughout the country,” read a statement from his ministry.
Its military said: “In the months preceding the strike, close and joint planning was conducted between the IDF and the US military, enabling the execution of the broad strike in full synchronisation and coordination between the two militaries,” it added.
The attacks come after Trump had ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel
Earlier this week the United States and Iran had held talks in Geneva but Trump said yesterday that the cleric-run state was “not willing to give us what we have to have”.
World leaders react
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has discussed the situation in the Middle East with US President Donald Trump, Downing Street has said.
Starmer spoke to Trump by phone on Saturday evening, a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Starmer “set out that the UK was taking part in coordinated regional defensive operations to protect British people and regional partners following Iran’s indiscriminate retaliatory strikes on allies in the region”.
An Iranian drone strikes the US Navy’s 5th Fleet at Naval Support Activity in Manama, Bahrain, today. BBC Verify
BBC Verify
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described developments in Iran as “deeply concerning” and called for restraint.
“Ensuring nuclear safety and preventing any actions that could further escalate tensions or undermine the global non-proliferation regime is of critical importance,” von der Leyen said.
Russia also condemned the strikes. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, according to the Russian foreign ministry.
In a statement, the ministry said: “[Lavrov] condemned the unprovoked armed attack by the US and Israel on Iran, which violates the principles and norms of international law and completely disregards the grave consequences for regional and global stability and security.”
Meanwhile, Oman’s foreign minister and regional mediator Badr Albusaidi expressed frustration that diplomatic efforts had been derailed.
“I am dismayed,” Albusaidi said in a statement online.
“Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined. Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. And I pray for the innocents who will suffer. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further.”
