By The Associated Press
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, President Donald Trump said, calling it “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.
Trump also said “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue through the week or longer.
There was no immediate comment from Iran on Khamenei’s status. The assassination of the second leader of the Islamic Republic, who had no designated successor, would throw its future into doubt and raise the prospect of a protracted conflict given Iranian threats of retaliation.
Earlier, Iran had retaliated to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says bombing of Iran will continue through week or longer
U.S. President Donald Trump in his social media post said the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei would not bring an end to the joint airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel.
“The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!” Trump said.
The president stresses that his hope was for the Iranian government to join with the opposition.
Trump says Iran’s supreme leader is dead
U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead, saying his passing is “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.
Trump in his post called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history.”
Trump said that Khamenei “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”
UN chief calls for end to hostilities, return to US-Iran talks
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that “everything must be done to prevent a further escalation.”
“The alternative,” he warned, “is a potential wider conflict with grave consequences for civilians and regional stability.”
Guterres reiterated his earlier condemnation of the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes for violating Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and international law, including the U.N. Charter – and he also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Shrapnel from Iranian missile attack injures man in Tel Aviv area
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service says rocket shrapnel from the latest Iranian missile attack has seriously injured a man in the Tel Aviv area. It marks the first serious injury to be reported in Israel since the exchange of missiles began. Magen David Adom says it has also treated 90 casualties, all in mild condition.
No one has been killed in Israel.
Israel’s U.N. ambassador calls condemnation of airstrikes ‘hypocrisy’
Danny Danon told reporters ahead of an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Iran is responsible for escalating actions by its proxies and its nuclear and missile programs, and “now Israel and the U.S. act to prevent an irreversible and immediate threat.”
He did not respond to a question asking whether he could confirm the death of Iran’s supreme leader. But he said: “We will continue to target the leadership of the radical regime and we will do whatever necessary to enable the right conditions for the people of Iran and stability for the region.”
How long will it take? “As long as it will take to achieve the goals,” Danon replied.
Everyone is watching the situation on the ground, he said, and “the time for the Iranian people to take control of the future is very soon.
Most of Iran’s senior leadership is ‘gone’ — Trump
Asked about reports that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in airstrikes on Saturday, President Donald Trump said: “We feel that that is a correct story.”
In a brief phone interview with NBC News, Trump said “a large amount of leadership” of Iran had been killed, adding: “I don’t mean like two people.”
He also said “most” of Iran’s senior leadership is “gone,” including many people who make decisions.
Asked who might now become Iran’s new supreme leader, Trump joked, “I don’t know. But at some point they’ll be calling me to ask who I’d like” before noting he was being “only being a little sarcastic” in suggesting that.
