The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed by a US-Israeli attack in Tehran on the 28th February, 2026 and a 40-day mourning period for the longtime Iranian leader has been announced to honor his life.

The operation was described as a high tech strike. The current president of the United States, Donald Trump claimed Khamenei couldn't hide from Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and he has called this the "single greatest chance” for Iranians to take their country back, even suggesting the police and military should now join the protesters.

Khamenei wasn't just a politician, since 1989, he had the final say on everything the military, the courts, and religion. To his followers, he was a shield against the West. To his critics, he was a dictator who spent the country's money on foreign wars while his own people struggled. Because of his death, there is a massive power vacuum as Khamenei held all the keys, for now his absence leaves Iran with no clear path forward.