Unconfirmed reports by Iran’s opposition sources claim that the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during Israel’s strikes on Tehran.
Iranian opposition Telegram channels say that his death will be officially announced in the next 48 hours. Crucially, these claims remain entirely unconfirmed by any independent or official sources.
An earlier report in the Times of Israel said that Khamenei was evacuated to an underground bunker in northeastern Tehran hours after Israel began its strikes Friday.
Khamenei is together with all of his family at the shelter in Lavizan, the report claimed. He sought shelter in the bunker when Iran launched its attacks on Israel in April 2024 and October, too.
It adds that Israel did not assassinate Khamenei on the first night of the operation to give him a final chance to completely ditch his uranium enrichment program.
Khamenei was last seen publicly on June 13, delivering a televised message of defiance to the nation in the face of Israeli attacks. While some reports specifically allege his private residence on Palestine Street in Tehran was bombed, these remain unverified claims from sources with a vested interest and should be treated with extreme caution.
According to Reuters, President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Khamenei. “Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership,” said one of the sources, a senior U.S. administration official.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.
They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off the plan. The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communication with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu did not directly confirm or deny a report from Reuters that Trump had vetoed a plan to kill the ayatollah. “There’s so many false reports of conversations that never happened and I’m not going to get into that,” the Israeli prime minister said.
An Israeli official told CBS News that “in principle” Israel does not “kill political leaders, we are focused on nuclear and military. I don’t think anyone making decisions about those programs should be living free and easy”.
Israel first launched an attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure and other targets on Friday. The two countries have continued to launch massive strikes at each other since, with attacks entering a third day on Sunday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
Born in 1939, Khamenei played a significant role in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, rising through the clerical ranks and becoming president from 1981 to 1989.
As Supreme Leader, Khamenei holds ultimate authority over all major state policies, including foreign policy, the nuclear program, and the armed forces, effectively serving as the commander-in-chief.
His tenure has been marked by a steadfast commitment to the principles of the revolution, a strong opposition to Western influence, and significant internal and regional challenges.
Despite persistent rumors about his health, the 85-year-old leader continues to appear in public, projecting an image of unwavering leadership in a nation facing complex geopolitical pressures.
