Following a high-stakes joint military operation by the U.S. and Israel, Iranian state media has officially confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 86-year-old’s 37-year reign ended abruptly when a precision strike decimated his Tehran compound on February 28, 2026. As the Islamic Republic enters 40 days of national mourning, the world watches a nation divided between state-mandated grief and underground celebrations, while the absence of a clear successor plunges the Middle East into its most volatile period in decades.
