The U.S., Israel, and Iran have been engaged in a dispute over the fate of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the scale of U.S. military casualties, and other issues following a 28th-day armed conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a video address on the same day, “We destroyed Khamenei’s residence and killed Revolutionary Guard commanders and senior nuclear officials. We will attack thousands more targets.” He added, “There are multiple signs that Khamenei no longer exists.”
U.S. President Donald Trump stated, “Many Iranian leaders have died,” and reportedly told ABC and NBC broadcasts, “I think the story about Khamenei’s death is correct.” Trump later officially announced, “Khamenei has died.” A U.S. government official also said, “Five to ten senior Iranian leaders, including Khamenei, have died.”
Israeli media reported that “Trump and Netanyahu viewed photos of Khamenei’s body.” Reuters cited Israeli senior officials, reporting, “Khamenei, who transformed Iran into a strong anti-U.S. force and expanded its military influence in the Middle East but caused repeated domestic instability, was killed in Israeli and U.S. attacks,” and claimed his body was found.
Israel’s N12 channel also definitively reported, citing a senior official, “Khamenei has been eliminated.” The channel added that the Israeli military dropped approximately 30 bombs on Khamenei’s residence, and he was reportedly underground at the time.
Iranian authorities denied the death reports, calling them “psychological warfare by the enemy,” according to Iranian state media. Meradad Seyed Mehdi, head of publicity for the Supreme Leader’s office, wrote on social media, “Beware of the psychological warfare being waged by the U.S. and Zionist enemies (Israel), who suffered heavy losses from our soldiers’ powerful attacks.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency cited sources to report, “Khamenei is confidently directing the battlefield situation.” However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson initially told ABC, “Khamenei is safe,” but later avoided direct answers in a BBC interview, stating, “We are not in a position to confirm the matter.”
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, told NBC, “As far as I know, he is alive,” when asked about Khamenei’s status.
Earlier, multiple media outlets reported that senior Iranian figures, including Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Mohammad Pakpour, appeared to have died, but Khamenei’s fate remained unclear. Israeli media outlet Walla cited officials, stating, “Khamenei is out of contact.”
Iranian media Jamaran cited a Tehran city council member’s remarks that Khamenei’s son-in-law and daughter-in-law had died.
Iran claimed it conducted airstrikes on over 10 U.S. military bases in the Middle East, causing over 200 U.S. casualties and destroying a U.S. warship. However, the U.S. Central Command stated, “No U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries have been reported,” and “damage to U.S. facilities was minimal and did not affect operations.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent Society announced that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured in the joint U.S.-Israeli preemptive strikes. According to ISNA, the Red Crescent reported casualties in 24 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Earlier, Iranian media reported that a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Hormozgan Province, was bombed, resulting in massive casualties. According to the reports, 85 people died, and the death toll from the school attack could reach 150 to 160.
