Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Dies, State TV Confirms

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s highest political and religious authority since 1989, has died at age 86, Iranian state television announced on Sunday.

State broadcasters reported that Khamenei’s death was confirmed in a solemn announcement early Sunday, with archives shown on national TV and a 40-day national mourning period declared across the Islamic Republic.

The confirmation follows prior statements from U.S. and Israeli officials that Khamenei was killed during joint airstrikes on Tehran late Saturday as part of a major offensive reportedly aimed at degrading Iran’s leadership and strategic infrastructure.

Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts is expected to convene to name a successor, and Tehran has hinted at forming a temporary leadership council to oversee the transition. Thousands have gathered at public squares in cities such as Isfahan to pay their respects, while Iraq announced a three-day mourning period in solidarity with Iran’s loss.