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Latest news on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, covering his assassination, succession crisis, US-Israel strikes, and Islamic Republic legacy.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei served as the second Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1989 until his assassination on 28 February 2026, when joint US and Israeli airstrikes struck his official residence in Tehran. Born in Mashhad in 1939, Khamenei studied under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and was a key figure in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. He served as Iran's president from 1981 to 1989 before the Assembly of Experts elevated him to Supreme Leader following Khomeini's death, despite his relatively low clerical rank at the time.
Khamenei's assassination came amid an unprecedented escalation of hostilities between Iran and a US-Israeli coalition. The strikes, which killed over 40 senior Iranian officials alongside Khamenei, triggered an immediate succession crisis. An Interim Leadership Council comprising President Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the judiciary, and a Guardian Council member was formed to manage the transition. Iran's Foreign Minister stated that the Assembly of Experts could elect a new Supreme Leader within days, though ongoing military operations have complicated the process.
Iran responded to the strikes with retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israel and US military bases across at least nine countries, including Gulf states such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The conflict has disrupted global oil shipments, closed the Strait of Hormuz, and caused damage to civilian infrastructure across the Middle East, including airports and ports. Hezbollah in Lebanon launched strikes on Israel in solidarity, while the Houthis in Yemen announced a resumption of Red Sea operations.
Khamenei's legacy remains deeply divisive. Under his 36-year rule, he consolidated near-absolute power in the Office of the Supreme Leader, expanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) into a dominant political and military force, and built Iran's "Axis of Resistance" network of proxy groups including Hezbollah and Hamas. He oversaw Iran's nuclear programme while issuing a fatwa against weapons of mass destruction, and maintained staunch opposition to the United States and Israel. His government's brutal suppression of the 2025–2026 nationwide protests, which saw thousands killed, drew widespread international condemnation and calls for regime change.
The question of who will succeed Khamenei has profound implications for Iran's future and regional stability. The IRGC retains enormous influence regardless of who holds the title of Supreme Leader, and analysts have cautioned that Khamenei's death does not equate to regime change. Potential successors include figures such as Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Ali Larijani, while exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has called on Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic entirely. The concept of velayat-e faqih, the guardianship of the Islamic jurist that underpins the Supreme Leader's authority, faces its greatest test since the system was established in 1979.
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