Iran's Supreme Leader Killed in US-Israel Strike
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli operation, a major escalation following initial strikes. Reports indicate the CIA tracked Khamenei for months to orchestrate the attack. In response, Iran has launched missile salvos at Israel and Gulf Arab states, while Israeli strikes continue to rock Tehran and an interim government forms in the power vacuum.
Ali Khamenei held the position of Supreme Leader since 1989, succeeding the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. At 86, he was the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East and the second-longest-serving Iranian leader of the last century. The Supreme Leader is Iran's most powerful figure, acting as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and having the final say on all major state matters. The officeholder appoints the heads of the judiciary, the state media, and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to Iran's constitution, a temporary leadership council assumes power until a new leader is chosen. This council consists of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a cleric from the Guardian Council. Currently, those roles are filled by President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, and senior cleric Alireza Arafi. The 88-member Assembly of Experts, a body of senior clerics, is constitutionally required to select the next Supreme Leader as swiftly as possible. However, the powerful IRGC is expected to wield decisive influence over the choice. Khamenei had not publicly named a successor, leading to speculation about who might take over. Potential candidates include Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, though a hereditary succession would be controversial, and Alireza Arafi, an influential cleric who is now part of the interim council. The strike follows a series of recent escalations. In June 2025, a "Twelve-Day War" involved Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and retaliatory Iranian missile attacks. In October 2024, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel following the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. U.S.-Iran relations have been hostile for decades, starting with the 1953 CIA-backed coup that overthrew Iran's prime minister. The 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent U.S. embassy hostage crisis severed diplomatic ties completely.
