Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States initiated “major military operations in Iran” following Israeli strikes targeting Iranian facilities, including locations near the office of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to reports from Iranian state media, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes.
The attacks, which began with a daytime strike on Saturday, resulted in a visible plume of smoke rising from central Tehran. Iranian media similarly reported that President Masud Pezeshkian was unharmed in the strikes.
Trump, speaking on his Truth Social platform, warned that the U.S. Would respond with “a force that has never been seen before” should Iran retaliate. This statement followed an earlier claim by Iran that it would launch a forceful response to any aggression.
The military actions were described by Trump as an effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and remove its leadership. The attacks come after a period of ongoing negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which Trump indicated had not prevented continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Retaliatory actions from Iran have already begun. Reports indicate an oil tanker was struck off the coast of Oman on Sunday, and a drone intercepted over Abu Dhabi’s airport resulted in one fatality. Defense Secretary John Healey stated that Iranian missiles and drones landed within “a few hundred yards” of a British military base in Bahrain, where approximately 300 UK troops are stationed. Two missiles were fired towards Cyprus, which hosts thousands of UK personnel.
Russia’s foreign ministry expressed “resentment and deep regret” over the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking Iranian officials. The ministry also warned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping could lead to significant disruptions in global oil and gas markets.
The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had led Iran since 1989, has prompted the formation of a new leadership council, according to the Iranian president. The succession process and the identity of the next supreme leader remain unclear.
