United States President Donald Trump has reacted strongly to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, after Iranian state television confirmed his passing early Sunday morning.
A news presenter on state television announced that Khamenei died at about 5:00am local time. The station aired archive footage of the long-serving leader with a black banner displayed on screen as a mark of mourning. The broadcast did not make any reference to reports of a major United States and Israeli strike on his residence.
Khamenei, who was 86, had served as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, making him one of the most powerful and influential figures in the country’s modern history.
On Saturday, President Trump had claimed that Khamenei was killed in air strikes, although there had been no immediate confirmation from authorities in Tehran at the time.
Reacting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in History” and said his death was “Justice for the people of Iran” as well as for Americans and others around the world who he claimed had suffered because of the Iranian leader’s actions.
The US President added that Khamenei had been “unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems.”
Trump further stated that the death of the Iranian leader offered citizens of Iran what he called their “greatest chance” to reclaim their country. He claimed that some members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, military and security forces were no longer willing to fight and were seeking immunity.
He warned that heavy and targeted bombing would continue for as long as necessary to achieve what he described as peace in the Middle East and across the world.
Iranian authorities are yet to release detailed information about the circumstances surrounding Khamenei’s death, while tensions in the region remain high.
