New Delhi, Mar 1 (UNI) Iranian state television on Sunday confirmed the nation’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died.
The death occurred on Saturday in a possible missile strike by the US, according to statements by US President Donald Trump, made last night.
“The Supreme Leader of Iran Has Reached Martyrdom,” state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday morning.
Earlier President Donald Trump had posted on X: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei…”
Iran’s political system puts ultimate authority in the Supreme Leader, a position combining religious and political power.
With Khamenei’s death a new successor must be selected by the assembly of experts, a clerical body.
There are possibilities that he may be replaced by an even more hardline leadership, according to analysts.
At the same time it is also possible that unrest could intensify as people come out in the streets. Iran has seen large protests over economic conditions and calls for political change in the past.
The sudden leadership vacuum as well as national trauma of the war could both reignite unrest and provoke harsher crackdowns by loyalist factions.
Earlier the US and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran after weeks of negotiations on scaling down its nuclear facilities.
Tehran retaliated to the attack by launching missiles and drones on Israel and four Gulf Arab nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE — where the US has military bases.
