Live: TRUMP CONFIRMS KHAMENEI KILLED: '...one of the most evil people in History, is dead!'

BEIRUT — President Donald Trump has confirmed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, in a dramatic escalation that has plunged the Middle East into a major regional war [citation:1][citation:10].

In a phone interview with NBC News, Trump addressed reports of Khamenei's death, stating: "I have spoken to a lot of people, we feel that is a correct story" [citation:1]. Asked by ABC News if he knew "definitively," Trump said: "I don't want to say anything definitively until I see things but we believe he is. And much of their leaders are gone. Not only from the one site but two other sites that we attacked also. We had great intelligence and so we think much of leadership is gone" [citation:1].

In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared: "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS" [citation:10].

A senior Israeli official earlier told Reuters that Khamenei's body had been found following strikes that targeted his compound in the Iranian capital [citation:1]. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were "growing signs that this dictator is no longer," confirming that Israel had destroyed Khamenei's compound [citation:1].

Scope of the Attack

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the operation as a "preemptive strike" against Iran, declaring a special state of emergency across Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said approximately 200 fighter jets completed "the largest ever military flyover in the history of the Israeli Air Force," dropping "hundreds of munitions targeting approximately 500 objectives" across western and central Iran [citation:1].

Confirmed targets included:

• The compound of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, which satellite imagery shows sustained significant damage with multiple destroyed buildings [citation:1]
• Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Ministry of Defense buildings
• The Iranian Atomic Energy Agency facility
• The Parchin military complex
• Multiple Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps installations across the country

The IDF released images of seven senior Iranian officials it claimed to have eliminated, including Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Pakpour, and Khamenei advisor Ali Shamkhani [citation:1][citation:6].

Casualties and Human Toll

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported that at least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured across 24 of Iran's 31 provinces [citation:1][citation:6].

In a particularly devastating strike, an all-girls elementary school in Minab County was hit, killing at least 85 students, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency quoting the local prosecutor. An official said the school was "targeted by three missile attacks" [citation:4][citation:9]. President Masoud Pezeshkian called the strike a "barbaric crime" [citation:9]. Video verified by The New York Times showed black smoke billowing from a crumbling building whose walls were painted with pastel-colored flowers, as onlookers screamed and embraced [citation:4].

Conflicting Reports on Leadership

Despite Trump's confirmation, conflicting reports persist. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told ABC News the supreme leader was "safe and sound," while Seyyed Mehrdad Seyyed Mahdi, head of public relations at Khamenei's office, said the reports were "psychological warfare" [citation:1].

Iranian state news agency IRNA earlier reported that Khamenei had been moved to a secure location outside Tehran prior to the strikes, though this could not be verified [citation:1]. BBC Persian reported that sources in Tehran described people in several neighborhoods cheering and sounding car horns after reports circulated that Khamenei had been killed [citation:1][citation:10].

Iranian state media has not carried any official confirmation of Khamenei's death, and international news organizations face severe restrictions on reporting from inside Iran, making independent verification difficult [citation:1].

Iran Retaliates Across Region

Within hours of the initial strikes, Iran launched widespread retaliatory missile attacks against American assets across the Middle East. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for what it called "Operation Truthful Promise 4," saying it targeted U.S. military installations in several countries [citation:2][citation:7].

Confirmed impacts include:

• Bahrain: The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama was struck, with huge plumes of black smoke seen rising from the area [citation:2].
• Qatar: Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military facility in the region, was targeted. Qatar's defense ministry said it intercepted several missiles, but an American radar and air defense system was destroyed [citation:2].
• UAE: Multiple explosions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with all flights suspended from both international airports. One civilian was killed by debris in Abu Dhabi [citation:2][citation:7].
• Kuwait: Three troops were injured at Ali Al-Salem air base [citation:7].
• Jordan: The armed forces reported they shot down two ballistic missiles targeting its territory [citation:2].
• Saudi Arabia: Iranian media reported attacks on King Fahd military base, though this was not officially confirmed [citation:7].

The Pentagon reported no U.S. casualties and minimal damage at U.S. bases despite "hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks," according to U.S. Central Command [citation:1][citation:6].

Israel Under Fire

Iran launched multiple waves of ballistic missiles toward Israel throughout Saturday. The Israeli military reported sirens sounding across the country, with impacts reported in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and the Galilee region. Emergency services reported 89 people "lightly injured," mostly from shrapnel or while running to shelters [citation:1]. An Iranian missile hit in the Tel Aviv area, with images showing firefighters outside badly damaged apartment buildings [citation:10].

Diplomatic Context

The military escalation comes just days after U.S. and Iranian negotiators concluded a second round of indirect talks in Geneva, mediated by Oman. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks, had met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday and posted on social media: "Peace is within our reach." Hours later, American and Israeli forces struck Tehran [citation:1].

Following the strikes, al-Busaidi said on X: "Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined. Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this. I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war" [citation:5].

Speaking to Axios, Trump cited two main reasons for taking military action: the outcome of nuclear talks with Iran this week and the regime's record in sponsoring past attacks. "The Iranians got close and then pulled back — close and then pulled back. I understood from that that they don't really want a deal," Trump said [citation:1][citation:6]. He added that there are several options for "off ramps," stating: "I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: 'See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear programme]'" [citation:1].

Strait of Hormuz Threatened

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported receiving multiple reports from vessels in the Gulf stating they had been informed about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, though there has been no immediate confirmation from Iranian authorities [citation:3][citation:8]. The strait is a critical chokepoint through which approximately 20% of global oil passes.

International Reactions

Regional and international reactions have been mixed:

• China expressed concern and called for Iran's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity to be respected [citation:5].
• Russia condemned the "unprovoked armed attack" and urged an immediate halt to the strikes [citation:5].
• France's Macron said the escalation "carries grave consequences for international peace and security" and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting [citation:5][citation:7].
• Turkey's Erdogan condemned the attacks on Iran as a breach of sovereignty, while also criticizing Tehran's strikes on Gulf states [citation:1].
• Brazil condemned the attacks and expressed grave concern [citation:5].
• Norway stated the attack "is not in line with international law" [citation:5].
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed British planes "are in the sky today" in the Middle East as part of coordinated regional defensive operations [citation:1].
• Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed support for U.S. efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and urged Canadians in Iran to shelter in place [citation:6][citation:7].

The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting Saturday afternoon. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "not in a position to confirm" reports on Khamenei's death and "deeply regrets" that the opportunity for diplomacy had been "squandered" [citation:10].

U.S. Domestic Response

In Washington, the strikes drew mixed reactions. Republican leaders largely supported the action. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine called the strikes "dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic," demanding the Senate return to session to vote on a War Powers Resolution. Former Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement denouncing the attack, saying "Donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want" [citation:1].

Hundreds of protesters gathered around the White House opposing the strikes as part of a national day of action, with some holding American flags or Lion and Sun Iranian flags [citation:10].

The White House released images of Trump monitoring the operation from a makeshift situation room at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, joined by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Vice President JD Vance monitored from the White House Situation Room [citation:10].

Internet Blackout

Iran was experiencing a "near-total internet blackout," according to advocacy group NetBlocks, severely limiting information flow from inside the country [citation:6]. U.S. embassies in Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Israel and Karachi, Pakistan, told staffers to shelter in place and recommended all Americans do the same [citation:1].

LIVE UPDATES CONTINUE BELOW — SITUATION DEVELOPING RAPIDLY

This is a breaking news story. While President Trump has confirmed Khamenei's death, Iranian officials continue to deny these reports, and international news organizations face significant access restrictions inside Iran. Information remains fluid.