Iran state media reports Supreme Leader Khamenei killed in strikes
State media said Khamenei “was carrying out his assigned duties and was present at his workplace (his office)” at the time of what it described as “This cowardly attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning”.
Iranian state media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the early hours of Saturday during Israeli and US strikes on his office.
State media said Khamenei "was carrying out his assigned duties and was present at his workplace (his office)" at the time of what it described as "This cowardly attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning". The reports said the strike also killed several of his family members, including his daughter, son-in-law and grandchild, says Reuters.
There was no immediate confirmation from Israeli or US officials. Iranian media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied the reports, calling them "fake news".
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In a statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said: "We have lost a great leader and we are mourning him, a leader who was unique in in terms of purity of spirit, strength of faith, resourcefulness in affairs, courage in the face of the arrogant, and jihad in the path of God".
If confirmed, Khamenei's death would trigger a constitutional process for leadership transition. Under Iran's constitution, a three-person council comprising the president, the head of the judiciary and a cleric from the Guardian Council would assume control of the country.
There were also unconfirmed reports that authority was being granted to Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. Iranian authorities did not immediately comment on those reports.
The reported killing prompted reactions inside and outside Iran. Witness accounts and local reports indicated that crowds gathered in parts of Tehran following the announcement.
Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's former Shah, said the "hour of liberation is at hand" and added that "The courageous Iranian people have paid a heavy price for freedom," while promoting a plan for a transition to a democratic Iran, says Al Jazeera.
Iranian authorities announced a 40-day mourning period. However, reports indicated that bombardment continued, with explosions heard in the capital.
