President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed following U.S.-Israeli strikes.
In a social media post, Trump wrote, “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.”
Trump said Khamenei “was unable to avoid our intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems,” adding that other Iranian leaders were also killed in the strikes. He described the operation as a turning point for Iran and suggested internal forces, including elements of the military and security services, may no longer support the current leadership.
“The heavy and pinpoint bombing… will continue, uninterrupted… as long as necessary,” Trump said, framing the strikes as part of a broader effort to achieve “peace throughout the Middle East and, indeed, the world.”
Iranian officials have previously denied reports that the supreme leader was killed.
Earlier, speaking to NBC News, Trump stopped short of confirming the reports, saying he did not want to comment directly but that “the rumor is, and the word is, that he has been killed,” adding that he believed the reports were “a correct story.”
Trump’s social media announcement that Khamenei is dead came 13 minutes after the White House called a lid at 4:24 p.m., shutting down access for reporters to question the president.
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