Iran officially confirms Khameneiʼs death. Tehran reports “most powerful strike” in response, while Trump warns
- Author:
- Svitlana Kravchenko
- Date:
Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in his residence during US and Israeli strikes on the morning of February 28.
This was officially confirmed by Iranian state media.
The country has declared 40 days of national mourning and seven days of non-working. In the city of Mashhad, a black flag was raised over the Imam Reza Mausoleum.
The Fars news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also said that Ali Khameneiʼs daughter, son-in-law, grandson and one of his daughters-in-law were killed.
According to the official Iranian media outlet IRNA, after the death of the supreme leader, Iran will be temporarily ruled by the president, the head of the judiciary, and one of the members of the Guardian Council.
Before that, the US President Donald Trump wrote about Khameneiʼs death.
"Khamenei, one of the most evil men in history, is dead. This is justice not only for the people of Iran, but for all the great Americans and people from many countries around the world who were killed or maimed by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty thugs," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to him, Khamenei was eliminated with the help of American intelligence and high-tech surveillance systems, as well as thanks to cooperation with Israel. Trump added that the Iranian people have a chance to take back their country.
Following the news of the ayatollahʼs death, Iranians at home and abroad took to the streets to celebrate the news. Videos of people dancing to music, shouting with joy, and clapping were posted on social media.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media is publishing footage of Khameneiʼs supporters taking to the streets with his portraits to mourn the leaderʼs death.
KVIR announced revenge
Following the assassination of Iranʼs supreme leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported the preparation of "the most powerful offensive operation against the Zionist entity and the bases of American terrorists," Al Jazeera reports.
In total, IRGC plans to attack 27 American bases in the Middle East, as well as Israeli military facilities in Tel Aviv. Explosions continued to ring out in Tel Aviv, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE that night.
An airport terminal in Dubai was damaged. There is also news of a drone strike on the Bahrain airport.
The US President Donald Trump advised Iran not to retaliate and warned that if the US attacks, it will "strike with a force like the likes of which we have never seen before".
Israeli and US military operation against Iran
In the past month, the US President Donald Trump has regularly threatened to attack Iran because the countries have reached an impasse over the nuclear deal. The Israeli army attacked Iran on the morning of February 28. It later became known that this was a joint operation with the US.
Israel calls it “Lionʼs Roar” the US calls it “Epic Fury”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the operation’s goal is to “eliminate the existential threat” posed by Iran.
Iran responded by attacking American bases in the Persian Gulf countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. Iran also attacked Israel with ballistic missiles.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that at least seven senior Iranian officials were killed in airstrikes in Iran. Among them were Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour.
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