Iran's Supreme Leader Killed in Strike
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike over the weekend, a major escalation following initial attacks. The decapitation strike, reportedly the result of a months-long CIA tracking operation, has thrown the regime into disarray. In response, Iran has launched missile barrages at Israel and several Gulf Arab states, widening the conflict across the Middle East.
An 88-member body of senior clerics, the Assembly of Experts, is constitutionally required to select the next Supreme Leader. This is only the second such transition since the 1979 Islamic Revolution; the first followed the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Until the assembly makes its choice, a temporary council composed of Iran's president, judiciary chief, and a cleric from the Guardian Council will manage the duties of the office. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei held the position of Supreme Leader for nearly 37 years, since 1989. When he was selected, he was a mid-ranking cleric, and the constitution had to be amended to allow his appointment as he was not a "marja" (a source of emulation) like his predecessor. He previously served as Iran's president from 1981 to 1989, during the entirety of the Iran-Iraq War. The Supreme Leader holds ultimate authority in Iran, with final say over all state matters, including foreign policy and the nuclear program. As commander-in-chief, the leader controls the military and the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and also appoints the heads of the judiciary and state media. Reports indicate Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been named the new Supreme Leader. The 56-year-old cleric has long been an influential but behind-the-scenes figure with deep ties to the IRGC and the Basij militia. The United States sanctioned him in 2019 for his role in the Supreme Leader's office. Iran's retaliatory missile capability was significantly degraded during a 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, which destroyed about a third of its launchers. However, the country is believed to have ramped up production to replenish its stockpiles of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones, which it uses in concert to overwhelm air defenses. Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in Lebanon, has condemned the strikes but has not pledged to join the conflict. The group was severely weakened in a 2024 war with Israel that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and it has since been focused on rebuilding its capabilities.
