In a strongly worded message posted on Truth Social, President Trump declared that Khamenei “is dead,” describing the longtime Iranian leader as “one of the most evil people in history.” Trump said Khamenei’s reported death represents “justice for the people of Iran” and for others around the world allegedly harmed under his leadership.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote. “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.”
Trump also warned that U.S. military operations against Iran would continue “as long as necessary” to achieve what he described as “peace in the Middle East.”
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had hinted that there were “many signs” indicating Khamenei may have been killed during the strikes. Trump later confirmed that the United States had conducted what he called “major combat operations” inside Iran.
The Israeli military stated that approximately 200 warplanes were involved in the coordinated assault, targeting key military and strategic locations across Iran, including areas around Tehran.
However, the offensive has resulted in heavy civilian casualties. Local officials in southern Iran reported that at least 108 people, most of them children, were killed when a strike hit a girls’ primary school. The Iranian Red Crescent later said that at least 201 people were killed overall in the U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to Iranian media reports.
In retaliation, Iranian forces launched missile attacks on U.S. and Israeli military bases across the Middle East, escalating fears of a wider regional conflict. Multiple cities, including Tehran, were struck during the early hours of Saturday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, had ruled Iran since 1989 and was the country’s highest political and religious authority. He played a central role in shaping Iran’s military posture and nuclear strategy following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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