Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed dead; Iran declares 40 days of mourning

Iranian state television has confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has died, with the country set to observe 40 days of national mourning.

In a tearful on-air announcement, a state TV presenter confirmed Khamenei’s death and said Iran would enter an official 40-day mourning period.

The confirmation followed a statement issued by the Supreme National Security Council, after which several state media outlets reported the news.

The statement did not specify how the 86-year-old leader died or who would succeed him.

Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed during a joint US-Israeli attack on multiple locations across the country.

Earlier reports from Iranian state media said that Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild were also killed in the attacks.

The Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that one of his daughters-in-law may have also been killed.