President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead following a barrage of joint US-Israeli strikes on the nation according to CNN.
The president celebrated Khamenei’s killing in a Truth Social post, calling him “one of the most evil people in History.”
“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 wrote, adding that other regime leaders had been killed as well.
The announcement came after Israeli sources concluded earlier on Saturday that Khameini and other senior Iranian officials were dead, though no public proof has surfaced yet. In his post, Trump again urged Iranians to overthrow the current regime, calling it the “single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
The Saturday attack came after Trump officials concluded that negotiations with Iranian leaders had stalled, and that they were not likely to agree to the United States’ demands to abandon all efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Trump has not offered a specific timeline for the war or laid out longer-range plans for stabilizing and rebuilding the country. But in his Truth Social post, he indicated that strikes could continue for several days.
“The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!” he wrote.
Israel confirm Iran’s supreme leader killed in strikes
Israel has confirmed that Iran’s supreme leader was killed in strikes on Saturday, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter.
One of the sources said Israel had obtained a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s dead body. The second source said an official announcement is being prepared.
Israel has not shared evidence of Khamenei’s death.
Earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there are many signs that Khamenei is “no longer with us.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iran’s president and Supreme Leader are “safe and sound.” But Khamenei has not been seen in public or in videos since the strikes began.