Johnson Progress

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed Saturday morning in his Tehran office during coordinated US-Israeli air strikes, Iranian state media has confirmed, in a dramatic escalation that has plunged the Middle East into a new phase of conflict.

State television announced the death of the 85-year-old cleric who had ruled Iran for more than three decades, as multiple sources reported widespread casualties among the country’s leadership.

According to sources, approximately 40 Iranian officials were killed in the air raids that targeted military sites and intelligence headquarters across the country.

President Donald Trump immediately claimed responsibility for the operation, releasing a statement that described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in History.”

In his remarks, the US leader directly appealed to the Iranian people, urging them to “take back their Country” in what analysts are interpreting as a clear call for regime change.

The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed they had killed several top Iranian officials, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The IRGC has responded with a vow to unleash “the most devastating offensive operation” against US bases and Israel, raising fears of an uncontrollable regional conflagration.

The commander-in-chief of Iran’s IRGC, Mohammad Pakpour, and the secretary of Iran’s Defence Council, Ali Shamkhani, have both been killed in the strikes, official IRNA news agency announced.

Ghoncheh Habibiazad, senior reporter for BBC Persian, provided details on the slain commanders, noting that the Israel Defence Forces had earlier named seven members of Iran’s security leadership they claimed had died.

“Mohammad Pakpour was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the IRGC after his predecessor was killed during the 12-day Iran-Israel war back in June 2025,” Habibiazad reported.

“He was previously the commander of the IRGC’s Ground Forces.”

Shamkhani, who also served as a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, had been injured during the same 12-day war.

Both men had been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department prior to their deaths.

The human toll extends far beyond military and political figures.

The Red Crescent reports that more than 200 people have been killed across Iran, with a particularly devastating strike hitting a girls’ school.

Iranian officials say at least 108 people died when US and Israeli strikes targeted the educational facility.

Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and several Gulf nations that host US military bases or maintain alliances with Washington.

Explosions were reported in Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait, with video footage circulating on social media showing fireballs, plumes of smoke, and panicked crowds fleeing urban centers.

In the United Arab Emirates, four people were injured following an incident at Dubai International Airport, the country’s government confirmed.

Officials stated that emergency response teams “have been activated immediately,” and the incident is being handled in coordination with relevant authorities, with medical care provided to those injured.

Debris from a drone intercepted by Dubai’s military caused a fire at one of the berths of Jebel Ali Port, a known frequent stop for US Navy ships in the Gulf.

The government reported that “Dubai Civil Defense teams immediately responded to handle the fire,” with no injuries recorded at the port facility.

A more serious incident occurred at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, where debris from an intercepted drone killed one person, identified as an Asian national, and injured seven others, according to government statements.

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, issued a statement welcoming Khamenei’s death and suggesting it could fundamentally alter the nation’s trajectory.

In an essay for the Washington Post published Saturday evening, Pahlavi first thanked President Trump “for his declaration to the Iranian people that ‘the hour of your freedom is at hand.”

“History rarely announces its turning points in advance,” Pahlavi wrote.

“But moments do come when courage, leadership and solidarity can change the course of nations.”

The exiled prince characterized the Islamic Republic’s nearly half-century rule as one of “subverting neighbors’ sovereignty, fueling conflicts around the world, and pursuing nuclear weapons and the long-range missiles to deliver them.”

He argued that the regime’s most “heinous crimes” were committed at home, citing thousands of protesters killed during a crackdown on demonstrators in January.

Pahlavi proposed that Iran’s path forward should involve a new constitution drafted and ratified by referendum, followed by free elections with international oversight.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that “British planes are in the sky today” in the Middle East, though details of UK involvement remain unclear.

The statement comes as allied nations grapple with the implications of the unprecedented strike on Iran’s top leadership.

With the Islamic Republic now facing a leadership vacuum at its highest level and vowing devastating retaliation, the coming days will determine whether this moment represents a turning point toward regional transformation or the beginning of a wider and more destructive war.