Khamenei assumed power following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989, inheriting a revolutionary state still consolidating itself.

Questions remain over who will succeed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who President Donald Trump and Iranian state media said was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Though some Iranians mourned the death of their supreme leader, others rejoiced. Their celebrations were furtive and short-lived to avoid riot police or other authorities.

By Gram Slattery and Erin Banco March 1 (Reuters) - Following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, many senior U.S. officials remain skeptical that the U.S. and Israeli military operation against the Islamic Republic will lead to a regime change in the near term.

The New York Times faced criticism for calling Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a "hard-line cleric" that made Iran a "regional power" in a obituary headline.

Ayatollah Khamenei became Iran’s supreme leader in 1989, wielding ultimate religious and political authority over the state and security apparatus.

A satellite image shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, in Tehran, Iran February 28, 2026. Pleiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026/Handout via REUTERS

In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) reacts to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and criticizes the Trump administration for not having a “strategic plan” after striking Iran.

Some Iranians said on social media that they were privately mourning the supreme leader. But displays of exuberance broke out in cities across the country.

The U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran, dropping massive bombs on the country’s ballistic missile sites and wiping out warships