Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Killed in Joint US-Israeli Strike on Tehran

ALI KHAMENEI KILLED: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead following a joint US-Israel strike in Tehran.

In a seismic shift for the Middle East and global geopolitics, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday morning, March 1, 2026, the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The 86-year-old cleric, who has ruled Iran with an iron fist since 1989, was reportedly killed during a precision joint military operation conducted by the United States and Israel targeting a high-security command bunker in the northern district of Tehran.

The strike, which occurred at approximately 1:15 a.m. local time, marks the most significant escalation in the region since the 1979 Revolution and follows the total collapse of the “Board of Peace” negotiations in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.

“Operation Sleeping Lion”: The Anatomy of the Strike

Pentagon sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have dubbed the mission “Operation Sleeping Lion.” The strike utilized a combination of Israeli “stealth” intelligence and U.S. “bunker-buster” munitions launched from regional platforms.

• The Target: A reinforced subterranean complex beneath the Velayat-e Faqih residential compound. Intelligence reportedly suggested Khamenei was meeting with top IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) commanders to authorize a “total mobilization” against Western assets in the Persian Gulf.
• The Munitions: Initial reports indicate the use of GBU-72 Advanced 5,000-pound penetrator bombs, designed specifically to reach deep-set command centers.
• Collateral Status: Along with Khamenei, the IRGC’s Quds Force Commander and several members of the Guardian Council are feared dead.

Tehran in Turmoil: Succession and Martial Law

Following the confirmation of Khamenei’s death, the streets of Tehran have descended into a mixture of state-mandated mourning and sporadic, jubilant celebrations in dissident-heavy neighborhoods.

The Assembly of Experts is reportedly meeting in an emergency “undisclosed location” to formally name a successor, though analysts suggest a bloody power struggle between the clerical establishment and the IRGC military wing is inevitable.

The “Board of Peace” Fallout

The strike follows months of deteriorating relations between Tehran and the Trump administration. Just 72 hours ago, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff walked out of the Abu Dhabi summit, citing Iran’s “refusal to acknowledge the sovereignty of our allies and their insistence on nuclear enrichment beyond the point of return.”

President Trump, speaking from Mar-a-Lago shortly after the strike, stated:

“The world is a safer place today. We offered a seat at the Board of Peace, and they chose the path of terror. We do not seek regime change, but we will not allow the ‘Great Satan’ rhetoric to be backed by nuclear warheads. It’s over.”

International Reactions: A World on Edge

• Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the “heroic coordination” of the IDF and U.S. forces, stating that the “head of the snake has been removed.”
• Russia: President Vladimir Putin, who recently met with Witkoff in Moscow, called the strike an “act of international lawlessness” and warned of “unpredictable consequences for the global energy supply.”
• The UN: Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an emergency session of the Security Council, pleading for “maximum restraint to avoid a regional conflagration.”

What Happens Next?

The immediate concern for Western intelligence is the “Dead Hand” protocol—a rumored IRGC contingency plan for retaliatory strikes by proxy groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis in the event of the Supreme Leader’s death. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has moved a second carrier strike group into the Gulf of Oman as a deterrent.