Washington: Ali Khamenei has died at the age of 86, bringing to an end a 36-year rule that defined Iran’s political direction and its confrontational stance toward the United States and Israel. Iranian state media has reported that Ali Khamenei was killed in air strikes by Israel and the United States that destroyed his central compound in Tehran.
Ali Khamenei assumed the role of supreme leader in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. Initially viewed by some observers as an unlikely successor, Khamenei consolidated power over time and established firm control over Iran’s political, military and security institutions.
Throughout his tenure, Khamenei maintained a hardline ideological position rooted in hostility toward Washington and its regional allies. Iran expanded its military and political influence across the Middle East during this period, projecting power through allied groups and strategic partnerships.
"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…" – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/oXZTFGg5pS
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026
At home, Khamenei presided over repeated waves of unrest, responding with strict security measures to suppress dissent. As protests resurfaced in recent years with slogans targeting the leadership, Khamenei vowed that Iran would not yield to external pressure or domestic instability.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme stretched across decades but repeatedly faltered. The air strikes that resulted in Khamenei’s death followed years of heightened confrontation after negotiations failed to produce a lasting settlement.
Khamenei’s rule shaped Iran into a central anti-US force in the region while limiting political openness at home. The end of Ali Khamenei’s leadership now leaves uncertainty over the country’s future direction and the balance of power within the Islamic Republic.
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