Iran’s supreme leader has been killed during major attack, Trump says

*SENIOR ISRAELI OFFICIAL TO REUTERS: KHAMENEI DEAD, BODY FOUND REPORTS CITING US OFFICIAL: US OFFICIAL CONFIRMS TO FOX THAT US BELIEVES KHAMENEI AND 5-10 TOP IRANIAN LEADERS KILLED IN INITIAL ISRAELI STRIKE ON COMPOUND Israel has confirmed Iran’s supreme leader killed in strikes, Israeli sources say Israel has confirmed that Iran’s supreme leader was killed in strikes on Saturday, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter. One of the sources said Israel had obtained a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s dead body. The second source said an official announcement is being prepared. Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there are many signs that Khamenei is “no longer with us.” Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iran’s president and Supreme Leader are “safe and sound.” But Khamenei has not been seen in public or in videos since the strikes began. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei dead after IDF strike hits Tehran compound, Israeli source confirms Iran’s militant and unyielding supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic Republic for more than three decades and oversaw an era of harsh internal repression and confrontation with the United States and Israel, has died following the Israeli strike in Tehran, as his compound was reduced to rubble, a senior Israeli official told Fox News Digital. "Khamenei was the contemporary Middle East’s longest-serving autocrat. He did not get to be that way by being a gambler. Khamenei was an ideologue, but one who ruthlessly pursued the preservation and protection of his ideology, often taking two steps forward and one step back," Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of FDD’s Iran program, told Fox News Digital. "Khamenei’s worldview was shaped by his militant anti-Americanism and antisemitism, which first manifested itself in his protests against the Shah of Iran," he added. Trump on reports of Ayatollah's death: 'We feel that is a correct story' video In a conversation with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, President Trump said he believed reports on the death of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in strikes against the country are "a correct story."

Truth Social video. Trump says 'massive' strike against Iran underway - bitcoin plunge offers a glimpse of how markets could react 'We're going to destroy their missiles,' says Trump A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on Feb. 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on Feb. 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the center and east of the Iranian capital. Investors roiled for weeks by AI disruption and then hotter-than-expected inflation on Friday faced a fresh level of stress after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran to destabilize its nuclear ambitions. "A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," President Donald Trump said in a video message published on his Truth Social account early Saturday. Cryptocurrencies, which trade 24/7, offered the first glimpse of how investors might react, until Asian markets open on Sunday. Bitcoin (BTCUSD) slid 3.1% to $63,561, a level not seen since early February. Oil (CL.1) (BRN00) prices jumped on Friday as traders began to sense strikes could be nearing, with Trump suggesting to reporters that the window for diplomacy with Iran could be closing. The S&P 500 SPX and Nasdaq Composite COMP and Dow industrials DJIA tumbled on Friday after a surprise spike in producer prices. Trump last week offered Read President Trump’s statement on Iran in full U.S. President Donald Trump said in an 8-minute video posted on his Truth Social that the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S. and appealed to the Iranian people to “take over your government.” Here’s Trump’s address in full: A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. Among the regime’s very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran’s proxies carried out the marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel.

TRUMP ON IRAN: THE ENTIRE MILITARY COMMAND IS GONE, MANY WANT TO SURRENDER President Donald J. Trump provides an update on Operation Epic Fury: pic.twitter.com/Vte8QKpISn TRUMP: CALL ON IRANIANS TO SEIZE THIS MOMENT TAKE BACK YOUR COUNTRY ...