Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed dead; Iran declares 40 days of mourning

2026-03-01 - 02:38

Iranian state television has confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died, with the country set to observe 40 days of national mourning. In a tearful on-air announcement, a state TV presenter confirmed Khamenei’s death and said Iran would enter an official 40-day mourning period. The confirmation followed a statement issued by the Supreme National Security Council, after which several state media outlets reported the news. The statement did not specify how the 86-year-old leader died or who would succeed him. Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed during a joint US-Israeli attack on multiple locations across the country. Earlier reports from Iranian state media said that Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were also killed in the attacks. The Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that one of his daughters-in-law may have also been killed.