A man displays a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite armed groups gather to show support for Iran on the day the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, in Basra, Iraq, on February 28, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Cheers could be heard on Tehran’s streets after reports of the death of Mr. Khamenei, Iran’s paramount leader since 1989, as plumes of black smoke hovered over the Pasteur district where he usually resides, witnesses told AFP.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Mr. Trump said on his Truth Social network.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said there were “many signs that this tyrant is no longer alive”.
Addressing the people of Iran, the arch-enemy of Israel and the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Mr. Netanyahu said, “This is your time to join forces, to overthrow the regime and to secure your future.”
The strikes prompted Tehran to fire off a missile barrage across the West Asia, with injuries and at least one death reported in explosions that rocked showcase cities in Gulf Arab monarchies.
Iranian authorities urged residents to evacuate the capital, a city of 10 million, while the country’s Red Crescent society said that at least 201 people had been killed in the strikes and more than 700 wounded.
The Iranian judiciary said one strike that hit a school in the south killed 108 people, although AFP was unable to access the site to verify the toll or the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The UAE reported one civilian dead and damage from missiles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as blasts from Tehran’s retaliatory salvo and air defences intercepting it also echoed over Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier told NBC News that Mr. Khamenei was alive “as far as I know”, adding that “all high-ranking officials are alive”.
Published – March 01, 2026 05:10 am IST
