Breaking: Iran confirms death of Ayatollah Khamenei
Iran has confirmed the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the strikes on Tehran by the United States of America and Israel.
The killing of Khameini was made known via a statement that was widely read on the Iranian state media on Saturday.
The statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, read out by several state broadcast channels, confirmed Khamenei was killed in his office early on Saturday morning.
One presenter, through tears, said the country will enter 40 days of mourning.
The Assembly of Leadership Experts – a council of clerics – is expected to appoint a successor as soon as possible.
The Supreme Leader, 86, had been in power since 1989.
More than 200 people, including 40 Iranian officials, have been killed during the strikes.
In response, Iran has launched attacks throughout the Middle East, on US allies and where the US has military bases, including in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
President Donald Trump of the United States said the death of Khamenei is the greatest chance for Iranians to “take back their country”.
Trump, who had earlier said Khamenei was “one of the most evil people in history”, said his death marked “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country”.
He said the US would continue bombing Iran.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah (king), issued a statement earlier welcoming the death of Khamenei.
In an essay, for the Washington Post, Pahlavi thanked Trump for his declaration to the Iranian people that “the hour of your freedom is at hand”.
He said for almost half a century, the Islamic Republic has been “subverting neighbours’ sovereignty, fueling conflicts around the world, and pursuing nuclear weapons and the long-range missiles to deliver them”.
He said the Islamic Republic’s most “heinous crimes” were committed at home, including thousands of protesters who were killed during a crackdown on demonstrators in January.
Pahlavi said the country’s path forward should involve a new constitution drafted and ratified by referendum, followed by free elections with “international oversight”.
He wrote: “History rarely announces its turning points in advance.
“But moments do come when courage, leadership and solidarity can change the course of nations.”
