Khamenei never left his office when the strikes began, and what satellite images showed next explains why Iran hid it for hours
“Ayatollah Ali Khamenei” by Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0.
The US knew exactly where he was.
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Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died following joint US-Israeli strikes on the country. Iran’s state media confirmed this on Sunday, after hours of official denials. Satellite images showing heavy damage to his compound made those denials impossible to hold.
Khamenei, who had led Iran for nearly four decades, was reportedly killed “in his office in the household of the leader” while he was “carrying out his duties,” according to state media. Iran’s Foreign Ministry had initially insisted that Khamenei, 86, and the Iranian president were both “safe and sound.” But satellite images captured by Airbus told a different story, showing thick black smoke rising from his compound in Tehran, with several buildings severely damaged.
President Trump addressed the situation on his Truth Social platform, describing Khamenei’s death as “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.” According to CNN, he stated that one of the primary aims of the joint US-Israeli attack was regime change, and urged the Iranian people to rise up against their government.
Iran was already at its weakest point in decades before the strikes hit
At the time of the strikes, Iran was arguably at its weakest point since Khamenei came to power in 1989. Decades of Western sanctions had battered its economy. US and Israeli strikes in June 2025 had already dealt a serious blow to his rule, and just six months later, widespread protests broke out across all 31 provinces, driven first by economic anger and then by political demands.
The regime responded with force, killing thousands of protesters and drawing global condemnation, including intervention threats from the Trump administration. President Trump described the US military’s involvement as “a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”
Notably, Trump launched the strikes without congressional approval, which has since drawn pushback from both parties in Congress. He called on Iranians to “take over your government,” saying they now “have a president who is giving you what you want.”
With Khamenei gone, the question of who leads Iran next remains unclear. Under Iran’s constitution, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for appointing a new supreme leader. In the meantime, a three-member council made up of the president, the head of the judiciary, and a jurist from the Guardian Council is tasked with carrying out the leader’s duties.
Even US officials admit uncertainty. In January, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “no one knows” who would take over if Khamenei was removed, adding, “I don’t think anyone can give you a simple answer to what happens next in Iran if the supreme leader and the regime were to fall.”
The reaction inside Iran has been telling. During protests in January, crowds were filmed chanting “Death to Khamenei.” As news of his death spread on Saturday, cheers were heard in parts of Tehran. One video captured women chanting “Death to the Islamic Republic” and “Long Live the shah,” followed by whistles and cheers.
Iran also struck back at US military bases across the region in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE within minutes of the bombs falling on Tehran. Khamenei’s death could trigger the biggest shift in regional dynamics since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and with no clear successor, his death raises serious concerns about stability across the region and potential effects on the global economy.
Published: Mar 1, 2026 10:45 am