Iran has formed a three-member interim council to lead the country following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to the state news agency IRNA, Khamenei was killed in a joint attack by the United States and Israel. The temporary council includes the country’s president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council, who will collectively assume all leadership responsibilities.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, aged 86, became Iran’s Supreme Leader in 1989 after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. As Supreme Leader, Khamenei held ultimate authority over Iran’s political, military, and religious institutions, as well as domestic and foreign policy. The position of Supreme Leader was created after the 1979 revolution and enshrined in the constitution to grant absolute power to a top religious figure above the president and parliament.

The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member clerical body, is formally responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader. The formation of the interim council marks the beginning of a transitional phase in Iran’s leadership structure.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced plans to launch what it described as a 'devastating attack' targeting US military bases and Israel. The declaration was made in an official statement, which said the operation would be the most destructive offensive in the history of Iran’s armed forces and would begin shortly.

The announcement came shortly after Iranian state television confirmed the death of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In an emotional broadcast, the presenter declared a 40-day period of national mourning. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had claimed that Khamenei died following attacks by the United States and Israel.

The IRGC’s statement and the leadership transition signal a period of heightened tension in the region, with Iran’s interim leadership council already naming a new commander for the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Nearly 40 senior Iranian officials, including Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour, were reportedly killed in joint attacks by the United States and Israel, according to CBS News citing intelligence and military sources. The report did not specify whether the officials died in a single strike or separate incidents.

The attacks also reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, plunging the country into mourning. The IRGC issued a statement expressing strong reaction to the killing. In response, the Iranian government declared seven days of public holiday and 40 days of national mourning.

The report did not provide further details about the nature or location of the attacks, leaving uncertainty about how and where the incidents occurred.

Iran has plunged into mourning after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint United States and Israeli attack, according to Iranian media reports. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement expressing deep grief and condemning the killing, calling it proof of Khamenei’s legitimacy and service to the nation. The statement, published by the Fars news agency, warned that the Iranian nation’s hand of revenge would not spare those responsible.

Fars, an IRGC-affiliated outlet, reported that Khamenei was killed early Saturday while on duty in his office. The attack also claimed the lives of his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. Following the incident, the Iranian government declared 40 days of national mourning and announced a seven-day public holiday.

The IRGC’s statement and subsequent government actions signal a period of heightened tension and possible retaliation against the United States and Israel, as Iran’s leadership and public institutions prepare to respond to the loss of their top leader.

The United States and Israel jointly launched extensive airstrikes across at least 24 Iranian cities, including Tehran, on Saturday, following the collapse of nuclear negotiations in Geneva mediated by Oman. The attacks targeted both military and civilian sites, killing 201 people and injuring 747, according to the Iranian Red Crescent. The deadliest strike hit a girls’ school in Minab, where 85 people died. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian were reported safe, though Israel claimed several senior Iranian officials were killed.

In retaliation, Iran fired missiles at Israeli cities and US bases across the Middle East, causing damage in Iraq, Syria, and Gulf states. The escalation prompted regional airspace closures and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a global oil price surge. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the strikes as necessary for national security, while Iran’s foreign minister called them illegal acts of aggression.

World leaders, including those from the UN, China, France, Turkey, and Russia, urged restraint and immediate ceasefire. Several Gulf nations condemned Iran’s counterattacks, warning of sovereignty violations and potential regional destabilization.

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.

Reports from Iran indicate that a recent Israeli attack killed the daughter, son-in-law, and grandson of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The information was first shared by Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and later cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters. The incident reportedly occurred in Iran, though the exact location and timing were not specified.

The United States and Israel have claimed that Ayatollah Khamenei himself was also killed in the strike. U.S. President Donald Trump posted this claim on his Truth Social account. However, Iranian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied the reports. Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Mehr stated that the Supreme Leader remains steadfast and continues to lead on the battlefield.

The conflicting accounts highlight uncertainty over the situation in Iran, with no official confirmation yet from Tehran regarding the reported deaths or the broader implications of the attack.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has carried out missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, according to Iranian state media. The base has been used by US forces for decades. Iranian media also reported strikes on Iraq’s Al-Harir Air Base, another facility under US control. No immediate reports of casualties or damage were available.

The attacks followed a joint strike by the United States and Israel on Iran early Saturday, February 28. Tehran responded by targeting US military installations across the Middle East, including those in Israel and neighboring countries. Iranian state outlets described the operations as retaliatory actions following the earlier assault.

The situation marks a sharp escalation in regional tensions, with both US and Iranian forces engaging in direct hostilities across multiple territories. Further developments remain uncertain as no official statements on potential next steps were reported.

The death toll from an Israeli attack on a girls’ school in southern Iran has risen to 108, according to Iranian media reports cited by Al Jazeera. The strike occurred on Saturday in Minab, a city in Hormozgan province, where the school was operating at the time of the attack. The Minab prosecution office confirmed the updated casualty figure.

Reports indicate that 170 students were present at the school when the attack took place. Authorities fear the number of deaths could increase further as rescue and recovery efforts continue. The incident marks one of the deadliest reported attacks on a civilian educational facility in the region.

No additional details were provided in the report regarding the broader context or responses from Iranian or Israeli officials.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, declared that Iran will target all United States and Israeli bases, facilities, and assets in self-defense. Speaking at the UN, he said Iran considers all enemy bases and installations in the region as legitimate military targets under the legal framework of self-defense. He emphasized that Iran will continue exercising its right to defend itself fully and without hesitation until all aggression ceases completely.

Iravani also stated that Iran remains firmly committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring countries. He further claimed that Israel has succeeded in drawing the United States into a battlefield confrontation with Iran. The remarks were reported by Al Jazeera.

The statement underscores heightened tensions involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, with Tehran asserting its readiness to respond militarily under international self-defense provisions.

Israeli military spokesperson Efi Defrin announced that seven senior Iranian officials were killed in a military operation conducted inside Iran on Saturday. The statement was broadcast on Israeli television, where Defrin detailed that the operation targeted high-ranking figures within Iran’s security and defense establishment.

According to the Israeli claim, the dead include Ali Shamkhani, former secretary of Iran’s National Security Council and a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Shamkhani had previously survived an attack at his Tehran residence in June 2025. The list also reportedly includes Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohammad Pakpour.

The report did not include confirmation or reaction from Iranian authorities, and no independent verification of the Israeli claim was mentioned in the source.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in an Israeli attack. In a telephone interview with NBC News on Saturday, Trump said his administration is confident that reports of Khamenei’s death are accurate. He added that available intelligence supports the claim and described Khamenei as responsible for widespread violence and destruction.

When asked about official confirmation, Trump said he had spoken with several people and that U.S. officials were quite certain of the information. He also claimed that most of Iran’s top policymakers are no longer in place. Earlier on Saturday morning, international media reported a major joint strike by Israel and the United States targeting Khamenei’s residence.

The New York Times later published satellite images showing the palace complex completely destroyed and reduced to rubble. The reports indicate a significant escalation in the conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

Iran’s state-run Tasnim and Mehr news agencies reported that the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is alive and in good health. The confirmation came after conflicting international reports claimed that Khamenei had been killed.

Earlier, Reuters cited a senior Israeli official who alleged that Khamenei’s body had been found following a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28. The official claimed that the Iranian leader was killed in the attack and his body recovered. In contrast, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC that nearly all Iranian officials remain alive, healthy, and in safe locations.

The contradictory statements have created uncertainty over the situation in Iran’s leadership, with state media emphasizing Khamenei’s wellbeing while foreign sources continue to assert his death.

A senior Israeli official has claimed that the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been found. According to the official, who spoke to Reuters, Khamenei was killed on Saturday, February 28, during a joint military strike carried out by the United States and Israel, and his body has since been recovered.

In contrast, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC that nearly all Iranian officials are alive, healthy, and in safe locations. The conflicting statements have created uncertainty over the actual situation in Iran following the reported attack.

The report also mentioned that an Israeli military spokesperson claimed seven senior Iranian officials were killed, while other regional reports noted casualties and injuries in related incidents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may no longer be alive. In a brief message reported by Reuters and AFP, Netanyahu said that available information increasingly suggests the Iranian “dictator” is gone, though he could not confirm Khamenei’s death. He also appeared to signal Iranians to begin protests following this claim.

Earlier the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that, to his knowledge, Khamenei is alive. Araghchi made the comment during a live appearance on NBC News after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The conflicting statements have added uncertainty to the situation surrounding Iran’s leadership.

The reports come amid heightened regional tension following the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that reportedly killed 201 people in Iran, according to the source.