Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Ayoko Francisca Ahite

Hours after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack, “Operation Epic Fury,” on the Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday, February 28, 2026, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to announce the death of the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who had led the country since 1989. Khamenei was 86 years old.

In his post, Trump called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history” and said his death is “not only justice for the people of Iran,” but also for many people around the world.

The Iranian regime under Ayatollah Khamenei had long been criticized for its human rights violations, violence, and oppression of its own people.

Following the news of his death, many Iranian-Americans took to the streets in D.C. and other places to celebrate what they view as the liberation of their nation. One man interviewed by FOX5 DC expressed joy, saying, “Iran today is free again.” He continued, “This is what Iranians want. Freedom. They want to have a choice. They want to have a voice to present themselves. We want to tell the world that we are not Islamic Republic. We are Iranian. We are friends of the west, the east, the whole world.” He is not the only one to echo these feelings. A video circulating online shows a crowd in Southern Iran toppling Khamenei’s statue after his death. They seem elated.

However, pro-regime Iranians have gotten emotional over Khamenei’s death and have been mourning him with tears and protests demanding revenge against America, as seen in the video below.

When Trump announced the operation, he made it clear that his goals were to eliminate the regime in place and neutralize Iran’s nuclear capabilities. With Khamenei’s reported death, he partly accomplished his mission.

Other Iranian Leaders Killed in the Strikes

Israeli authorities released a list of additional High-ranking Iranian officials who were killed in the strikes. They are:

• Aziz Nasirzadeh, Defense Minister
• Ali Shamkhani, Head of the Iranian Security Council
• Mohammad Pakpour, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
• Saleh Asadi, Intelligence Official
• Hossein Jabal Amelian and Reza Mozaffari-Nia, Research Officials
• Mohammed Shirazi, longtime Head of Military Bureau