
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has been killed in a joint US and Israeli air strike on his Tehran compound. The 86-year-old cleric died on 28 February 2026 amid the large-scale operation targeting Iran's leadership, Iranian state media confirmed shortly afterwards with a 40-day mourning period declared.
His death brings to a close a 37-year reign that saw the Islamic Republic become a formidable regional force while maintaining iron-fisted theocratic control at home.