President Donald Trump declared Saturday that “this is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country” following U.S.-Israeli military strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead.” He added, “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.”
Trump emphasized the campaign “will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective.” The strikes targeted Khamenei’s Tehran compound early Saturday, resulting in his death alongside family members, his military secretary, and other senior officials. Israeli media reported that Khamenei’s body was recovered from the site, with confirmation by multiple Israeli officials briefed on the operation.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran for 36 years after succeeding Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, was instrumental in advancing Iran’s nuclear program and transforming groups like Hamas and Hezbollah into regional terror threats. His death follows similar outcomes for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar after the October 7, 2023, attacks. Israeli forces also targeted Iranian officials including Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour, president Masoud Pezeshkian, defense minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and intelligence chief Majid Khademi during Saturday’s operation. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi claimed high-ranking officials remained alive early Saturday.