WASHINGTON — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed after the United States and Israel launched sweeping strikes across Iran that both countries said targeted command hubs, missile forces and nuclear-related infrastructure, March 1, 2026. The campaign triggered immediate Iranian retaliation and put the region on a knife’s edge as Tehran declared 40 days of mourning and world powers urged restraint amid fears of a wider war.
Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death and announced the mourning period, while U.S. and Israeli officials framed the operation as a decisive blow against Iran’s leadership and military capabilities. Early reporting from multiple outlets said the opening wave struck a heavily protected compound in Tehran and additional sites tied to Iran’s air defenses and missile network.
What we know after Khamenei killed
Iran’s confirmation came as details emerged about the scope of the attack and the targets hit. A Reuters account of the operation described a broad mix of weapons and multiple strike locations inside Iran, alongside continued follow-on attacks and Iranian counterstrikes in the Gulf and against Israel (see Reuters’ breakdown of where the strikes hit).
In a separate report, Reuters described starkly different reactions inside Iran — mourning gatherings in some places and celebratory scenes in others — underscoring deep divisions after the killing of the man who ruled Iran for decades (read Reuters’ reporting on celebrations and grief).
Al Jazeera reported that Iranian state television confirmed Khamenei’s death and the 40-day mourning period as airstrikes continued, while Tehran vowed retaliation and rejected talks under fire (Al Jazeera’s report on Iran’s confirmation).
Regional response and the risk of a wider war
Iran fired back with missiles and other attacks soon after the strikes, and Israel reported incoming projectiles as air defenses engaged. Several governments convened emergency meetings and urged de-escalation, while airlines rerouted flights and energy markets braced for potential disruptions.
Reuters also tracked international reactions to the killing, with some leaders condemning the strike as unlawful and destabilizing while others cast it as a historic turning point that could reshape Iran’s future (Reuters’ roundup of global reaction).
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli leaders said the operation was aimed at stopping Iran’s ability to wage war through missiles and armed proxies, and preventing a nuclear escalation. Iranian officials and state media denounced the strikes as an attack on Iran’s sovereignty and promised a response that would make the attackers “pay a heavy price,” while also signaling that the mourning period would be marked with nationwide ceremonies.
Celebrations abroad, mourning at home
Beyond Iran, videos and images circulated showing celebrations in some diaspora communities — particularly among Iranians who have long opposed the Islamic Republic — alongside counter-protests and vigils by those who viewed the killing as an illegal assassination and an assault on Iran’s national identity.
Inside Iran, the public mood appeared fragmented. Some crowds gathered in black, chanting slogans and calling for revenge, while other clips showed cheering, fireworks and car horns in certain neighborhoods and cities — moments that were quickly amplified online as both sides tried to define what comes next.
Succession questions and what happens next
Khamenei’s death creates an extraordinary succession crisis in Iran’s theocratic system, where the supreme leader has the final say over the armed forces, judiciary, state broadcasting and core strategic policy. Iran’s constitution outlines a process involving the Assembly of Experts, though the exact timeline, the balance of power during any interim period and the roles of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other security bodies are likely to determine how orderly — or contested — the transition becomes.
Analysts also warned that the immediate military picture may be only the first phase, with the possibility of continued U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iranian retaliation across the region, and escalatory moves by allied armed groups. Diplomats urged direct channels to prevent miscalculation, particularly around U.S. forces in the Middle East and shipping routes critical to global energy supplies.
How years of pressure and conflict led to this moment
While the scale and outcome of the latest strikes are unprecedented, U.S.-Iran and Israel-Iran tensions have built for years through sanctions, proxy warfare, covert operations and periodic direct exchanges. Reuters traced the long “shadow war” between Iran and Israel and how it tipped into more open confrontation after major events in 2024, including direct strikes and reprisals (Reuters background on the Iran-Israel shadow war turning open).
The confrontation also sits atop the unresolved nuclear dispute. In 2018, Trump announced the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a move that reshaped diplomacy and accelerated a cycle of pressure and counterpressure (see Reuters’ 2018 report on the U.S. exit from the deal).
And the region has lived with the aftershocks of earlier targeted killings that brought Washington and Tehran close to broader conflict, including the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani — an event that spurred debate over legality and escalation risk (RAND experts’ reactions to the Soleimani killing).
What to watch in the coming days
- Iran’s next move: Whether Tehran expands retaliation against Israel, U.S. forces or regional allies — and whether it attempts to disrupt shipping.
- U.S. and Israeli follow-on operations: Whether strikes continue against missile, air defense and nuclear-related targets, and how each side defines “objectives met.”
- Succession and stability inside Iran: Who emerges as a consensus figure, whether hard-liners consolidate power, and how security forces respond to unrest.
- Diplomatic off-ramps: Emergency U.N. action, back-channel talks and mediation by regional states seeking to prevent a sustained war.
With Iran entering a formal mourning period and the U.S. and Israel signaling readiness for further action, the killing of Khamenei marks a historic rupture whose consequences may stretch far beyond the battlefield, reshaping regional politics — and the global economy — for years to come.
