US-Israeli war against Iran begins as Khamenei reported killed
Coordinated strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and at least 201 others, with President Trump vowing continued military operations
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader for over three decades, was killed in a coordinated US-Israeli military strike on February 28, 2026. President Trump announced the operation’s success the same day and declared that bombing would continue, marking the most dramatic escalation in Middle Eastern conflict since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The strikes began at approximately 1 a.m. local time, targeting Khamenei’s compound along with other key military and leadership sites across Iran. The initial wave of attacks killed at least 201 people and injured more than 700, according to reports from the region. Several high-ranking Iranian military officials were among the dead.
A war months in the making
The February 2026 operation did not emerge from a vacuum. The conflict traces back to earlier strikes in June 2025 that targeted Iranian nuclear sites, a campaign that set the stage for the broader military confrontation that followed.
Trump called on Iranians to “seize control of their government” in the aftermath, framing the operation as liberation rather than aggression.
Leadership transition under fire
Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on March 1, 2026, one day after the strikes. The delay between Trump’s announcement and Tehran’s official acknowledgment speaks to the chaos inside Iran’s governing apparatus during those initial hours.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, the late Supreme Leader’s son, stepped into his father’s role. The succession had long been rumored as a possibility within Iranian political circles, but few expected it would happen during an active military conflict.
A funeral for Ali Khamenei was not held until July 2026, delayed for months by the ongoing conflict.
The broader conflict grinds on
The assassination did not end the war. Subsequent strikes targeted Iranian missile sites, naval assets, and other critical military infrastructure. Periods of talks and temporary ceasefires punctuated the violence through mid-2026, but none held for long.