Tehran has announced what it called an unprecedented military response after acknowledging the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – a move that sharply escalates tensions across the Middle East.
In a statement released shortly after Khamenei’s death was reported, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it is preparing a retaliatory strike that would “change the course of history in the region.” The IRGC warned that the operation would target not only Israeli assets but also US military infrastructure throughout the Middle East.
“This will be the most powerful offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic. We will not stop until the enemy is defeated,” the IRGC said, vowing to strike U.S. bases in the region, including in Iraq and Syria, as well as what it called Israel’s strategic facilities and decision-making centers linked to the operation against the Iranian leader.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that Tehran is rejecting any diplomatic efforts at this stage, describing Khamenei’s killing as a “grave crime” that demands a military response.
Sources cited by Al Jazeera said Iranian missile units have been placed on the highest level of combat readiness, with analysts warning the operation could involve ballistic missiles and large-scale drone attacks.
The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump publicly stated that Khamenei had been killed, claiming the operation was carried out with Israel’s cooperation and that several other senior Iranian figures were eliminated as well.
Trump called the moment a “historic opportunity” for Iranians to reclaim control of their state, adding that Iran’s security apparatus was in disarray and seeking guarantees to avoid further confrontation.
The US and Israel have since reinforced their military posture in the region, bracing for a possible Iranian strike. With Tehran openly threatening US and Israeli targets and diplomacy effectively frozen, fears are mounting that the crisis could spiral into a broader conflict extending well beyond the Middle East.
Reading a statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, state TV outlets in Iran confirmed Ayatollah Khamenei’s death. The statement in part said: “Leader and Imam of the Muslims, His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, on the path of upholding the exaltation of the sacred sanctuary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, drank the sweet, pure drought of martyrdom and joined the Supreme Heavenly Kingdom,” according to a Reuters translation.
Who Was Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader?
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been the country’s paramount authority since 1989, holding ultimate control over national security decisions. He played a central role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the shah. A hard-line figure, Khamenei oversaw repeated crackdowns on protests and had long been a focal point of opposition to Iran’s restrictive domestic policies and confrontational foreign stance.
In mid-February, Khamenei warned that Iran was ready to respond to any US military action, saying that threats posed by Iran’s weapons were greater than those of American warships. He added that the US could be struck with such force that it would be unable to recover.