Who was Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and why was he a target of the US-Israel strikes?
Updated . First published
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a key target in the US-Israel attacks and US President Donald Trump has now announced he has been killed.
Iranian state media has also confirmed that Khamenei is dead with a brief statement which said the supreme leader "has reached martyrdom".
Khamenei, who has been supreme leader since 1989, was reportedly in his compound in Tehran when the joint assault was launched on military and government sites in Iran.
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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on February 17, 2026. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP
Satellite images showed black smoke billowing from the compound, which appeared completely destroyed, and although senior Iranian figures earlier denied claims the supreme leader was dead, Trump confirmed Khamenei's death with a post on Truth Social.
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"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Trump said in a post to his social media platform.
"This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS."
In announcing Khamenei's death, Trump said the supreme leader could not hide from the US attempts to smoke him out of his foxhole.
"He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do," Trump said.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the supreme leader's death with a post on Truth Social. AP
Trump speaks to reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House. AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said there were "many signs" that the missing supreme leader "is no longer with us" following the military operation.
"All indications show this tyrant is no longer with us", Netanyahu said, confirming that strikes had destroyed Khamenei's residence in Tehran.
Sources from inside Israel told CNN that Khamenei's death had been confirmed and that the government had obtained a photo of the leader's dead body.
Shortly after Netanyahu's televised message, Iranian officials had claimed Khamenei was alive.
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told US ABC News that Khamenei is "safe and sound", along with President Masoud Pezeshkian, despite the growing reports to the contrary.
In a further response to reports of Khamenei's death, Iranian state media claimed that the "enemy is resorting to mental warfare".
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Iranian officials had promised to share a recording from Khamenei after the strikes began.
Sources previously stated that Khamenei had left Tehran and was in a "secure location".
A satellite image shows smoke billowing from the compound of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after the US-Israel strikes. Airbus
Who was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?
Khamenei was an Iranian politician and cleric and had been Iran's supreme leader since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
He was elected president in 1981 but his influence in Iran has been strong since the 1979 revolution.
As supreme leader, Khamenei essentially controlled Iran's armed forces, the Revolutionary Guard and was able to oversee the state-run media.
Under Khamenei's rule, Iran has been involved in several proxy wars, including with Israel and Saudi Arabia.
He had been accused of brutalising his own people by using military control to quash any uprising against his autocratic leadership.
It has been reported that forces have killed countless Iranians protesting the government conditions under his regime.
Multiple internet blackouts, including during recent protests, have also been used as a weapon to disrupt any potential dissent from citizens.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin greet each other during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, July 19, 2022. AP
Trump's growing warnings
Khamenei had been the subject of threats from Trump for some time.
The US president said earlier this year that the Iranian leader should be "very worried".
Trump has called for a regime change in Iran and last year ordered attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
During his speech in the wake of last night's US-Israel operation, Trump said that Iran's "terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon".
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He was elected president in 1981 but his influence in Iran has been strong since the 1979 revolution. AP
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"That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime's nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan," Trump said.
"After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal.
"They've rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can't take it anymore."
In response to growing US threats, Khamenei warned the US that if "if anyone shows greed and wants to attack or harass, the Iranian nation will deal a heavy blow to them".
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