KATHMANDU, March 1: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a massive joint US-Israeli military assault on Iran, according to CNN, even as Tehran insisted its top leadership remains “safe and sound.”
The unprecedented strikes on Saturday targeted multiple sites across Iran, including what Iranian state media described as key military and symbolic locations. Among the sites reportedly hit was the beyt-e rahbari, the compound of the supreme leader, which CNN described as the nerve centre of Iran’s theocratic establishment.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared Khamenei “dead” and called for regime change in Tehran, stating that heavy bombing would continue “uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary.” He framed the operation as essential to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and threatening US national security.
However, Iranian officials strongly denied reports of Khamenei’s death. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that the US-Israeli strikes constituted a “war crime” and rejected Washington’s justification of preemptive self-defence as baseless under international law.
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Iranian state media reported that at least 108 girls were killed in a strike on a primary school in the southern city of Minab. Additional civilian casualties were reported in Lamerd province, where residential areas and a sports complex were struck. Iranian authorities declared a day of public mourning in parts of the country.
CNN reported that Israeli sources also claimed Khamenei was killed, though no public proof has emerged.
Retaliatory strikes across the region
Iran launched what CNN described as an “unprecedented” wave of retaliatory strikes targeting US military bases, Israel and other locations across the Middle East. Missile and drone attacks were reported in Israel, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere, disrupting air travel and oil shipments.
In Israel, one person was killed and at least 121 others injured in missile strikes, according to the country’s emergency service. In Abu Dhabi, a drone strike at Zayed International Airport killed one person and injured seven, authorities said. Dubai International Airport also reported minor damage after intercepting a barrage of drones, with several staff injured.
The US military has so far reported no combat-related American casualties.
Uncertain path ahead
According to CNN’s analysis, the reported death of Khamenei — if confirmed — would mark a seismic political moment for Iran and could either open the door to sweeping change or trigger deeper instability. US intelligence had previously assessed that in the event of regime change, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would likely fill any immediate power vacuum.
Critics in the US have questioned the constitutional basis of the military action, while protests were reported in Washington and New York against a potential broader war. Meanwhile, some Iranian Americans expressed hope that the strikes could lead to democratic change in Iran.
The White House said Trump plans to attend a fundraising event in Florida later Saturday, even as the crisis deepens.
With strikes ongoing and retaliation spreading across the region, the Middle East remains on edge amid fears of a wider conflict.
