DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died following a major attack by Israel and the United States, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability.
President Donald Trump announced the death hours earlier, saying it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
Neither Iranian state television nor the state-run IRNA news agency reported a cause of death for the 86-year-old. State television described Khamenei as being at his compound in downtown Tehran when the initial attack began. Satellite photos from Airbus showed the site heavily bombed.
His death at his office “showed that he consistently stood among the people and at the forefront of his responsibilities, confronting what officials call global arrogance,” state TV said.