Iran has rejected claims that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in recent United States and Israeli military strikes, even as Washington and Jerusalem insist the 86‑year‑old cleric has been eliminated and hostilities across the region continue to intensify.
Gatekeepers News reports that President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran’s Supreme Leader had been killed during a coordinated U.S. and Israeli offensive on Iranian targets, and senior Israeli officials also claimed there were signs that Khamenei was no longer alive.
However, Iranian authorities have strongly denied the reports, calling them part of psychological tactics and insisting that Khamenei along with other senior officials — is alive and continuing to lead the country. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iranian leaders remained “safe, sound and alive,” and rejected the attacks as illegal.
The conflicting claims have unfolded against the backdrop of one of the most serious military escalations in the Middle East in years, with both U.S. and Israeli forces launching strikes on multiple strategic sites in Iran, and Tehran responding with missile attacks on U.S. bases and allied positions across the region.
International leaders have renewed calls for restraint, urging both sides to halt further escalation and return to diplomatic engagement, as global markets and governments brace for prolonged instability in the Middle East.
