{"id":201953,"date":"2026-03-01T05:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T05:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-israel-war-on-iran-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-confirmed-dead-by-state-media-latest-reports-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T05:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T05:58:10","slug":"us-israel-war-on-iran-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-confirmed-dead-by-state-media-latest-reports-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-israel-war-on-iran-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-confirmed-dead-by-state-media-latest-reports-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"US-Israel war on Iran: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed dead by state media \u2013 latest reports &#8211; The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>US president says Khamenei\u2019s death is \u2018justice for the people of Iran\u2019 as he repeats call for regime change; Iran targets US bases in region<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/28\/khamenei-likely-killed-us-israel-iran-strikes\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Full report: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/us-israel-strikes-iran-tehran-response-visual-guide\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">A visual guide to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran \u2013 and Tehran\u2019s response<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/28\/war-on-iran-how-the-us-israeli-bid-for-regime-change-unfolded\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">War on Iran: how the US-Israeli bid for regime change unfolded<\/a><br \/><strong>Iran<\/strong> has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Sunday targeting <strong>US military bases across the region and Israel<\/strong>, state media said, in retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n<p>  Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel\u2019s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, according to an AFP report that cited Iranian state TV.<\/p>\n<p>  On Sunday morning, waves of sirens were heard across <strong>central Israel<\/strong> and parts of the <strong>occupied West Bank<\/strong>, with Israel\u2019s military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.<\/p>\n<p>  Blasts were also heard across several Gulf cities. Thick black clouds of smoke and several loud blast were reported over Qatari capital <strong>Doha<\/strong>, while explosions were heard across <strong>Dubai<\/strong> and Bahrain\u2019s <strong>Manama<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>  Loud explosions and thick, black smoke were seen near <strong>Erbil airport<\/strong>, which hosts US-led coalition troops in <strong>Iraq\u2019s autonomous Kurdistan region<\/strong>.<br \/>This follows confirmation by Iranian state media earlier that Khamenei had been killed. <\/p>\n<p>   On Saturday, Iran responded to the US-Israel strikes with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/dubais-famous-fairmont-hotel-in-flames-after-iranian-air-strike\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">drawing in countries that have previously been unaffected by the crisis<\/a>.<br \/><strong>The speaker of Iran\u2019s parliament<\/strong> <strong>Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf <\/strong>has said the country had prepared for \u201call scenarios\u201d, and warned US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have \u201ccrossed our red lines\u201d and \u201cwill suffer the consequences\u201d. He made the remarks in a video played on state TV.<br \/><strong>Trump<\/strong> has warned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Iran<\/a> against launching retaliatory attacks, in a comment posted on Truth Social.<br \/>\u201cIran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,\u201d Trump said, adding that, if Iran does so, it will be hit with a force that has \u201cnever been seen before\u201d.<br \/><strong>Iran<\/strong> has launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Sunday targeting <strong>US military bases across the region and Israel<\/strong>, state media said, in retaliation for the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n<p>  Twenty-seven US bases in the region, as well as Israel\u2019s military headquarters and a defence industries complex in Tel Aviv, were among the targets, according to an AFP report that cited Iranian state TV.<\/p>\n<p>  On Sunday morning, waves of sirens were heard across <strong>central Israel<\/strong> and parts of the <strong>occupied West Bank<\/strong>, with Israel\u2019s military saying it was responding to Iranian missile fire.<\/p>\n<p>  Blasts were also heard across several Gulf cities. Thick black clouds of smoke and several loud blast were reported over Qatari capital <strong>Doha<\/strong>, while explosions were heard across <strong>Dubai<\/strong> and Bahrain\u2019s <strong>Manama<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>  Loud explosions and thick, black smoke were seen near <strong>Erbil airport<\/strong>, which hosts US-led coalition troops in <strong>Iraq\u2019s autonomous Kurdistan region<\/strong>.<br \/>This follows confirmation by Iranian state media earlier that Khamenei had been killed. <\/p>\n<p>   On Saturday, Iran responded to the US-Israel strikes with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/dubais-famous-fairmont-hotel-in-flames-after-iranian-air-strike\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">drawing in countries that have previously been unaffected by the crisis<\/a>.<br \/>Thousands of people have gathered in <strong>central Tehran<\/strong> to mourn the death of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989. Mourners, who were dressed in black and carried photos of the former leader, chanted \u201cdeath to America\u201d and \u201cdeath to Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>  State media has reported that 40 days of public mourning and seven days of public holidays will be observed.<\/p>\n<p>Several loud bangs were heard in the <strong>Dubai<\/strong> area for a second day on Sunday, witnesses told Reuters news agency. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on the neighbouring Gulf states in response to US and Israeli strikes, hitting a range of other targets.<br \/>Major shipping companies have suspended navigation through the Gulf, citing the evolving security situation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>  French shipping company CMA CGM said in a statement it had told all of its vessels inside Persian Gulf, and bound to Persian Gulf, to proceed to shelter with \u201cimmediate effect\u201d. It has also suspended passage through the Suez Canal until further notice.<br \/>Hapag-Lloyd, another major shipping company, said it was suspending all transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the open seas, \u201cuntil further notice.\u201d<br \/>Danish company Maersk has also warned clients of possible delivery delays due to ships being re-routed.<br \/>Air raid sirens were activated across <strong>central Israel<\/strong> and parts of the <strong>occupied West Bank<\/strong> on Sunday, as Israel\u2019s military said it was responding to Iranian missile fire.<br \/>\u201cSirens were sounded in several areas across the country, following the identification of missiles launched from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Iran<\/a> toward the State of Israel,\u201d a military statement said, adding that the air force was \u201coperating to intercept and strike threats where necessary\u201d.<br \/>Loud explosions were heard early on Sunday near <strong>Erbil airport<\/strong>, which hosts US-led coalition troops in <strong>Iraq\u2019s autonomous Kurdistan region<\/strong>, AFP reported. Thick black smoke was rising from the airport area.<br \/>On Saturday, US-led coalition forces downed several missiles and explosive-laden drones over Erbil.<br \/>More details are emerging on who will lead <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Iran<\/a> during a transition period, following Khamenei\u2019s death.<br \/><strong>Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian<\/strong>, <strong>Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei<\/strong> and another official from the country\u2019s legal council will be part of the trio overseeing the transition, according to state television which cited Mohammad Mokhber, one of Khamenei\u2019s advisors.<\/p>\n<p>   Last summer during the 12-day war with Israel, Khamenei named three potential successors should he be killed. Reports earlier this month indicated that Khamenei had named <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/22\/world\/middleeast\/iran-larijani-khamenei-pezeshkian.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">four layers of succession<\/a> for key government and military jobs, in an effort to ensure regime survival in the face of a US-Israeli attack.<br \/>Iran\u2019s judiciary has confirmed the deaths of two senior military figures. The Guards\u2019 commander, <strong>General Mohammad Pakpour<\/strong>, and <strong>Ali Shamkhani<\/strong>, the head of the national defence council, were killed in Saturday\u2019s attacks, according to the Iranian judiciary\u2019s Mizan online news portal.<br \/>At least 133 civilians have been killed, and 200 civilians injured during the US-Israel war on Iran, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.en-hrana.org\/the-first-day-of-the-u-s-israel-and-iran-war-initial-report-on-the-scope-of-attacks-and-their-human-consequences\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">according to the US-based organisation HRANA<\/a> (Human Rights Activists News Agency).<\/p>\n<p>   At least 59 incidents have been recorded across 18 provinces in Iran, according to HRANA, which described \u201ca large-scale, multi-wave operation\u201d. Tehran recorded the highest number of incident, it said.<br \/>Schools and spaces associated with children and students were among the sites damaged, it said, adding that damage has also been reported \u201cin urban areas and other civilian locations, including residential neighborhoods and workplaces\u201d.<br \/>Earlier, <strong>Iran<\/strong>\u2019s ambassador to the UN accused <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> of lying about the justification of military strikes to \u201cmanufacture consent for unlawful war\u201d.<br \/><strong>Amir-Saeid Iravani<\/strong> told the emergency UN Security Council meeting that Iran has the right to self-defense, and that hundreds of civilians have been killed and injured in the US-Israeli operation, calling the strikes a war crime.<br \/><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--block-quote-fill)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><title>double quotation mark<\/title><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"><\/path><\/svg>Israel and US have attacked Iran. They have <strong class=\"dcr-in3yi3\">violated international law<\/strong> <strong class=\"dcr-in3yi3\">and the charter of the United Nations<\/strong>. <strong class=\"dcr-in3yi3\">They must be held accountable<\/strong>.<br \/>The council of the Iranian president, head of the judiciary and one of the jurists of the Guardian council, a 12-member body that vets laws, will temporarily assume leadership duties in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Iran<\/a>, the Islamic Republic News Agency has reported.<br \/>There has been only one other transfer of power since Iran\u2019s 1979 Islamic Revolution \u2013 back in 1989, when Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died.<\/p>\n<p>  The supreme leader is appointed by an 88-member clerical panel, called the Assembly of Experts. Under Iranian law, the Assembly of Experts must pick a successor \u201cas soon as possible\u201d. In the meantime, a leadership council can \u201ctemporarily assume all the duties of leadership.\u201d<br \/>Hundreds of thousands of travellers have been stranded or diverted to other airports after <strong>Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait<\/strong> and <strong>Bahrain<\/strong> closed their airspace following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/us-israel-war-on-iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">US-Israel war on Iran<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>  There also was no flight activity over the <strong>United Arab Emirates<\/strong>, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said, after the government there announced a \u201ctemporary and partial closure\u201d of its airspace.<\/p>\n<p>  That led to the closure of key hub airports in <strong>Dubai, Abu Dhabi<\/strong> and <strong>Doha<\/strong>, and the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines. The three major airlines that operate at those airports \u2013 Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad \u2013 typically have about 90,000 passengers per day passing through those hubs and even more travellers headed to destinations in the Middle East, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.<br \/><strong>China<\/strong>\u2019s ministry of foreign affairs has expressed concern over the US-Israeli strikes against Iran and called for an immediate ceasefire, urging all sides to avoid escalation and to resume dialogue and negotiation.<br \/>In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said Iran\u2019s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected.<br \/><strong>Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards<\/strong> said on Sunday they would launch the \u201cmost ferocious\u201d operation in history against Israeli and US bases.<br \/>\u201cThe most ferocious offensive operation in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s armed forces will begin any moment now,\u201d the Guards said in a post on Telegram.<br \/>Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the war on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Iran<\/a>. Here is where things stand:<br \/><strong>Iran\u2019s supreme leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/feb\/28\/khamenei-likely-killed-us-israel-iran-strikes\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Ali Khamenei has been killed<\/a>, state media has confirmed, after the US and Israel launched a war on the country to trigger regime change.<\/strong> The US president had earlier announced the death of the ayatollah, who ruled Iran since 1989, in a post on Truth Social. \u201cKhamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,\u201d Trump wrote. His death was later confirmed by Iranian state media.<br \/><strong>It came after waves of air attacks across the country.<\/strong> Iran\u2019s Red Crescent reported more than 200 deaths and 747 injuries in daylong attacks across 24 provinces.<br \/><strong>Witnesses in Tehran told the Guardian that people were celebrating in the streets after news of the possible death of the supreme leader.<\/strong><br \/><strong>At least 100 people were reportedly killed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/children-dead-as-missile-hits-elementary-school-in-southern-iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">strike that hit a primary school<\/a> in Minab, in the south-east.<\/strong><br \/><strong>Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had earlier said there were \u201cmany signs\u201d Khamenei was \u201cno longer alive\u201d<\/strong>, and Israeli officials briefed media that his body had been recovered.<br \/><strong>Tehran fired retaliatory strikes against Israeli and US bases across the Middle East.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/dubais-famous-fairmont-hotel-in-flames-after-iranian-air-strike\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Iran\u2019s attacks targeted more than six countries<\/a>, pulling in places that had been previously untouched by the escalating crisis.<br \/><strong>In Israel, one person died and 22 others are injured, media reports said, after an Iranian missile strike hit a building in Tel Aviv.<\/strong> An official said the building was aflame and had partially collapsed.<br \/><strong>In Dubai, a number of people were injured after an incident occurred at Dubai international airport,<\/strong> the Dubai media office has said. The Burj Al Arab and Fairmont hotels caught fire amid Iranian attacks.<br \/><strong>The United Arab Emirates said in a statement that it had intercepted the vast majority of the 137 missiles and 209 drones fired at its territory<\/strong> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Iran<\/a> in the hours after the US and Israel launched a regime change war on the Islamic Republic.<br \/><strong>At least one person was killed and seven wounded during an \u201cincident\u201d at Abu Dhabi\u2019s Zayed international airport<\/strong>, officials said after Iranian strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates and Gulf states.<br \/><strong>World leaders urged all sides to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table.<\/strong> The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/uk-france-germany-urge-iran-negotiate-solution-us-israel-attack-europe\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">UK, France and Germany<\/a> issued a joint statement condemning Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring countries, but the statement stopped short of complete support for the US-Israeli attacks.<br \/><strong>The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2026\/feb\/28\/starmer-chairs-cobra-meeting-after-us-israel-strikes-on-iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">British planes were \u201cin the sky today\u201d<\/a> in the Middle East<\/strong> \u201cas part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies\u201d.<br \/><strong>The UN security council held an emergency meeting on Saturday.<\/strong> The session was requested by the permanent missions of France, Bahrain, China, Russia and Colombia, according to a statement by the permanent mission of Russia to the UN. The secretary general Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said he \u201cdeeply regrets\u201d that the opportunity for diplomacy had been \u201csquandered\u201d.<br \/><strong>In the US, Republicans largely welcomed the attack<\/strong>, but prominent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/feb\/28\/iran-attack-us-political-reaction\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Democrats condemned what they called an illegal aggression<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/rss\/articles\/CBMiuwFBVV95cUxOak9veHE3MmxHZVRIemYtVUMxMVFMNEdBZXcxQ3ZqUVRxbXRDTU1SRVoyUUpYUmRqMFBRM2dNdFo3alpjMURIeVYyNkFaamF3ZEdWRC1ocjFFT1MycjUyNDlEVmx0MF9GNGMxc1UtdktjUmRuSjIzOXUzVG9KbGJEZnhDa0UzZWFDX256U1RPMU1oandyRmhvZE90VDNfNk9ZdExVZUVLZkY1dlhaNUxjaF9Vb3ZkV2VCcVc0?oc=5\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US president says Khamenei\u2019s death is \u2018justice for the people of Iran\u2019 as he repeats call for regime change; Iran targets US bases in regionFull report: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killedA visual guide to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran \u2013 and Tehran\u2019s responseWar on Iran: how the US-Israeli bid for regime change unfoldedIran has launched a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":201954,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-201953","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}