What to know about Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
A US-Israeli military strike has ended the rule of the cleric who ordered the country’s bloodiest crackdown in decades
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Iran’s Supreme leader killed in US-Israeli strike
When targeted by nationwide protests early this year, Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei unleashed the bloodiest crackdown of his nearly four decades in power. But now a US or Israeli military strike has ended his rule.
Iran’s state TV confirmed Khamenei’s death on Sunday, a day after after US President Donald Trump said the 86-year-old was dead. Israeli officials also told reporters earlier that he was killed in a major new attack by US and Israeli forces.
Khamenei tried to avert such strikes as the US built up its military presence in the region to pressure Tehran over its nuclear programme.
He warned that if the US struck, a regional war would ensue. At the same time, he allowed Iran to enter negotiations with the US over its nuclear programme.
Long before the supreme leader’s compound was among the first targets on Saturday, Khamenei was under growing pressure.
The suppression of the protests, with thousands of people killed amid chants of “Death to Khamenei”, was a sign of the threat that popular anger represented. Years of sanctions, economic mismanagement and corruption have gutted Iran’s economy.