Trump says Khamenei killed in massive U.S. and Israeli attack

Trump claims Iran's Khamenei is dead following unprecedented U.S. and Israeli attacks, sparking chaos and conflicting reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday (February 28, 2026) that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was dead, after Israel and the United States launched an attack of unprecedented scale aimed at bringing down the Islamic republic.

Cheers could be heard on Tehran's streets after reports of the death of Mr. Khamenei, Iran's paramount leader since 1989, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the Pasteur district where he usually resides, witnesses told AFP.

"Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead," Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said there were "many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive".

"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..." - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/oXZTFGg5pS

Addressing the people of Iran, the arch-enemy of Israel and the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Mr. Netanyahu said, "This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future."