Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in his palace at the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran on Saturday morning, ending 37 years as Iran's Supreme Leader, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Saturday afternoon. Khamenei's reported death was a culmination of his governing style: stubborn enough to make enemies, but too passive and weak to overcome them. Even as a U.S. armada loomed off the coast of Iran, the autocrat remained a sitting duck in his palace.
Iranian state media is so far denying the report, claiming instead that Khamenei is still "steadfast and firm in commanding the field."
