Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on Sunday, March 1, 2026, according to reports from Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies cited by Al Jazeera. Tehran later confirmed the martyrdom of Khamenei and several senior officials following a missile strike on a government complex in central Tehran. The attack occurred after U.S. and Israeli intelligence reportedly exchanged detailed information about Khamenei’s location and movements.

Khamenei, 86, became Iran’s Supreme Leader in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and held ultimate authority over the country’s political, military, and religious institutions. His leadership was strongly supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia. The position of Supreme Leader, created after the 1979 revolution, grants absolute power over the president and parliament.

According to The New York Times, the CIA had tracked Khamenei for months and shared precise intelligence with Israel, prompting a change in the timing of the strike. The attack targeted a complex housing Iran’s top leadership, including the president and national security officials, marking a major escalation in regional tensions.