US President Donald Trump said on Saturday afternoon that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had died following joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.

Khamenei was “incapable of bypassing our highly sophisticated intelligence and tracking systems,” Trump wrote, adding that “there was nothing he, nor the other leaders who were killed along with him, could do.”

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SocialTruth/@realDonaldTrump

Khamenei, 86, had had final control over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions as Iran’s supreme leader since 1989. He had no known successor, according to the News, so his death is likely to create a power vacuum.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, seen here in 2024, died following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, President Donald Trump announced.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, seen here in 2024, died following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, President Donald Trump announced.

Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

Trump had announced early Saturday morning that the United States and Israel had launched a major attack on Iran. In his announcement, he appeared to push for regime change, urging the Iranian people to “take control” of their “destiny.” He echoed that sentiment in his statement about Khamenei, calling the situation “the greatest opportunity for the Iranian people to take back their country.”

However, Trump said that “the intense and precise bombing” against Iran will continue “uninterrupted throughout the week” or “as long as necessary to achieve our goal of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, TRULY, IN THE WORLD.”

Iranian state media said Saturday night that at least 201 people were killed and 700 wounded in the attacks, and more than 50 were killed in an attack on a girls’ school.

Iran retaliated with its own attacks against Israel and US military bases throughout the region. As of Saturday afternoon, the U.S. military had reported no American casualties.