Unverified Reports of Ayatollah Khamenei’s Death After US-Israel Strikes Push Iran Conflict Towards Dangerous New Phase
Israel and the United States carried out sweeping strikes across Iran on Saturday in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations,” as unverified reports emerging from Western media outlets claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may have been killed during the attacks. This development, if confirmed, could mark one of the most consequential turning points in Middle Eastern geopolitics in decades. IndianRepublic.in could not independently verify these claims at this stage.
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| File Photo; Via: The New Region |
The Associated Press reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a nationally televised address, said there were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed after Israeli forces struck the compound early Saturday.
Two Israeli officials, speaking anonymously pending a formal announcement, told the news agency that Israel believed the Iranian leader was dead, but provided no operational details.
Iranian authorities publicly disputed the claims earlier in the day. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were alive “as far as I know,” describing the strikes as “unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate.”
Iranian state media later reported heavy casualties from the attacks, citing the Red Crescent as saying at least 201 people had been killed and more than 700 injured nationwide.
The strikes formed part of a broader U.S.–Israeli military campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air-defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and airfields. U.S. officials said American forces suffered no casualties despite what they described as hundreds of Iranian missile and drone responses directed toward Israel and U.S. installations across the region.
The Associated Press reported that some of the earliest explosions struck areas close to Khamenei’s offices in Tehran, underscoring that senior leadership sites were among the intended targets. Khamenei, who succeeded Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 and exercised ultimate authority over Iran’s political, military and clerical systems, has long been the central figure in the Islamic Republic’s decision-making structure.
His death, if confirmed, would leave Iran without a publicly designated successor and could trigger internal power struggles within the clerical establishment and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Trump addressed the Iranian public directly in a video message, urging citizens to rise against their leadership. “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” he said, framing the operation as both a military and political turning point.
Trump argued the campaign aimed to eliminate “imminent threats” posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and regional military networks, while acknowledging that casualties among U.S. forces remained possible because “that often happens in war.”
Netanyahu similarly suggested broader political implications, describing Iran’s ruling establishment as an existential threat and indicating that the operation would continue “as long as necessary.” Israeli officials said the campaign involved extensive aerial operations across multiple Iranian locations, with hundreds of aircraft reportedly participating.
Iran responded with missile and drone launches toward Israel and U.S. military sites in the Middle East, extending exchanges of fire into the night and intensifying fears of a widening regional conflict. Air-defense systems were activated across Israel, while regional governments raised security alerts and international aviation routes were disrupted.
The escalation comes amid stalled nuclear negotiations and follows months of mounting military pressure by Washington, including expanded deployments of warships and aircraft to the region.
The United Nations Security Council scheduled emergency consultations, while the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was closely monitoring developments and had detected no immediate radiological impact.
Political divisions also surfaced in Washington, where Democratic lawmakers criticized the operation for lacking congressional authorization, while the White House said bipartisan leaders had been briefed beforehand.
Meanwhile, internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported a near-total communications blackout across Iran as authorities tightened information controls during the crisis.
Even if senior leadership losses are confirmed, analysts caution that regime change is far from guaranteed. Iran’s governing system combines clerical authority, military institutions and entrenched political networks that could sustain continuity despite leadership disruption.
Nonetheless, the reported targeting of the country’s supreme leader represents a dramatic escalation beyond previous confrontations and signals a shift from containment toward direct strategic confrontation.
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