Iranian media have confirmed the death of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aged 86, early Sunday morning following a major attack by the United States and Israel.
Just hours earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that Khamenei had been killed in a joint US-Israel operation. Iran has now officially confirmed the death.
Khamenei assumed the position of Supreme Leader in 1989, succeeding Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic Revolution who overthrew King Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and established the Shia clerical regime.
Although Khamenei was considered to have less religious authority than his predecessor, he gradually centralized power, built a network of clerics, and expanded the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to become a key pillar in both the country's security and economy.
Under Khamenei’s leadership, Iran developed an armed regional alliance network known as the “Axis of Resistance.”
Groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas have received support from Tehran.
However, following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Middle Eastern geopolitics shifted dramatically. Israel launched heavy retaliatory strikes, reportedly killing several senior leaders within Iran's allied groups.
The year 2024 marked the first direct attacks between Israel and Iran, and in June 2025, the US and Israel conducted heavy strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Khamenei pushed forward Iran’s nuclear program despite sanctions and religious rulings declaring nuclear weapons un-Islamic, insisting on the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The 2015 nuclear deal had reduced uranium enrichment levels, but the US withdrew during Donald Trump’s first term, causing the agreement to collapse.
Subsequently, Iran increased uranium enrichment close to weapons-grade levels, and new negotiations in 2025 failed to achieve a breakthrough.
Analysts suggest that following Khamenei’s death, the Assembly of Experts, comprising 88 members, will select the new Supreme Leader, though no clear successor has emerged. The IRGC's role may be decisive if a power vacuum occurs, amid a population of over 90 million, many of whom express dissatisfaction with the current regime.
Source:BBC
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