Tehran, Mar 1 (V7N) — Although senior officials in Israel and the United States had earlier announced the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the claim was initially rejected by Iranian authorities. However, in the early hours of Sunday, Iran’s state news agency, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), confirmed his death.
In its report, the Tehran-based agency stated that Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Revolution, was killed in attacks carried out by the Israeli and U.S. governments. According to IRNA, he was “martyred” in a joint Israeli-U.S. assault on Saturday morning.
Prior to the confirmation, reports had also emerged regarding the deaths of several of Khamenei’s relatives. Early Sunday at approximately 6:30 a.m. Bangladesh time, the Jordan-based outlet Roya News, citing Fars News Agency, reported that multiple members of the Supreme Leader’s family were killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Roya News stated that sources close to the Supreme Leader had confirmed the deaths of several family members. According to Fars News, citing the same sources, Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law were among those killed. At the time, however, Iranian officials had not issued any formal statement regarding these claims.
Israel first reported Khamenei’s death within hours of launching Saturday’s strikes. Subsequently, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, told media outlets including NBC News and Agence France-Presse (AFP) that, to his knowledge, the Supreme Leader was alive and firmly leading the country amid the conflict.
In an interview with NBC News, Araghchi reiterated that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was alive, based on the information available to him.
However, IRNA’s subsequent report ultimately aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump’s earlier assertion that Khamenei had been killed. Speaking to NBC News, Trump said, “We believe it is accurate news.” He further claimed that “most of Iran’s senior leadership is gone. The people who made all the decisions are largely no longer there.”
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