Iran has declared 40 days of national mourning following the reported death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme leader.
State television, quoting IRNA and Fars news agencies, described Khamenei as a “martyr” after he was reportedly killed during coordinated attacks by the United States and Israel on Saturday.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the development, saying Khamenei was dead after the large-scale strikes on Iranian targets.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that the moment represented the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.
The Israeli military said the operation targeted strategic locations where senior Iranian officials had gathered, resulting in the deaths of top figures including the defence minister and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the martyrdom of Imam Ali Khamenei will mark the beginning of a great uprising against the tyrants of the world.
Reports indicate that more than 200 people were killed in the strikes, according to the Iranian Red Crescent, while retaliatory attacks have been launched against Israeli targets and U.S. military positions across the Middle East.
Khamenei, who led Iran for decades, played a key role in shaping the country’s domestic and foreign policies and positioning the Islamic Republic as a major regional power.