Trump declares Khamenei dead as US–Israel bombing campaign escalates

US president says bombing will continue 'as long as necessary'

Last updated:
Stephen N R, Senior Associate Editor
US President Donald Trump has said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead,
US President Donald Trump has said that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead,
AFP file

Dubai: US President Donald Trump declared that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, saying in a post on Truth Social that the cleric had been killed in a joint US-Israeli operation.

The claim, which had not been independently verified at the time of publication, signals a potentially historic turning point in the long-running confrontation between the United States and Iran.

Trump's statement announcing Supreme Leader Khamenei's death published at 01:46

Here is his whole post on his Truth Social Platform: Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. 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. He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do. This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country. We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us. As I said last night, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!” Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves. That process should soon be starting in that, not only the death of Khamenei but the Country has been, in only one day, very much destroyed and, even, obliterated. 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!

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Stephen N R
Stephen N RSenior Associate Editor
A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News — both in print and online — focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. Stephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes — shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. For the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging.

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