Iran state TV confirms the death of Ali Khamenei

Official announcement aired at 5 a.m. local time; transition process for Supreme Leader succession begins as tensions escalate across the region

Iran state TV confirms the death of Ali Khamenei following yesterday’s attack carried out by the United States and Israel. The official announcement was broadcast at 5 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. in Italy), accompanied by archival footage and a black mourning banner on screen.

Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the process of transition for the succession to the Supreme Leader will begin today. He confirmed that the transition will be led by President Masoud Pezeshkian along with two senior officials: Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and another high-ranking member of the judicial council.

“Iran state TV confirms the death of Ali Khamenei,” Larijani stated, warning that “groups seeking to divide Iran should know that we will not tolerate it,” and urging citizens to remain united.

Following the strike, which reportedly killed other senior regime figures, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened what it described as “the fiercest offensive in the history” of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces. The Guards declared that attacks against Israel and U.S. bases would begin “at any moment.”

President Donald Trump responded in a post on Truth Social, warning Tehran against escalation. “Iran has just stated that it will strike very hard today, harder than ever before,” Trump wrote. “They had better not do that, because if they do, we will hit them with a force the likes of which has never been seen before.”

Iran state TV confirms the death of Ali Khamenei as reports emerge of fresh explosions in Dubai, Doha, and Manama following missile launches from Iran, according to local witnesses.

In Iraq, hundreds of protesters attempted to storm the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, where the U.S. embassy is located. Agence France-Presse cited a security source saying the attempts had so far been repelled, although demonstrators continued trying to breach the area.

Explosions were also reported near Erbil airport in northern Iraq, where a base hosting U.S.-led coalition forces is located.

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