ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Reports about the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are circulating widely after joint US and Israeli strikes on Tehran on Saturday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there are “many signs” that Khamenei was killed in the airstrikes and Reuters quoted a senior Israeli official saying his body has been found, though no formal confirmation has yet been released by Tehran or Washington.
The strikes targeted military and leadership sites in Tehran, and Israeli military spokespeople said several senior Iranian security figures—including a close adviser to Khamenei—were killed. However, the Israeli army has not formally declared that Khamenei himself is dead.
Iran’s government has denied the reports. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and other top leaders are alive “as far as I know.”
US President Donald Trump also addressed the reports, saying the United States believes the account that Khamenei may be dead is a “correct story.”
At this stage, there is no independent, verified confirmation from Iranian authorities that Khamenei has died.
Iran's al-Alam broadcaster said late afternoon that Khamenei would address the nation soon, but he did not as the time writing this article.
Iran has carried out retaliatory attacks against Israel and US bases in the Middle East, drawing the ire of Tehran’s regional allies. The UN Security Council held a midnight meeting to discuss the escalation.