Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed, according to Iranian state media. The announcement followed what officials described as one of the most extensive strikes on Iranian targets in decades, launched by the United States and Israel.
Now, footage has emerged of an Iranian television anchor announcing the death of Khamenei during a live broadcast on Press TV, the country's state-run English-language network.
The anchor can be seen pausing many times while saying that Khamenei “has been murdered” and appears unsettled. The clip shows the presenter struggling to maintain composure on Live TV.
Watch it here:
According to various clips on social media, a few other television news anchors also appeared to lose composure on live broadcasts, with some visibly breaking down while announcing the news of Khamenei's death.
National Mourning
According to reports, Iran has declared 40 days of public mourning.
Media reports said the 86-year-old Khamenei was killed in his office on Saturday, February 28. Iranian state television said his presence at his workplace at the time reflected that he remained engaged in his official duties.
The Times of Israel quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Khamenei's body had been recovered. Israel's Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was shown an image of the body after it was retrieved.
Succession Questions
According to Axios, the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has triggered an immediate succession crisis with no clear outcome.
Under Iran's constitution, a council of clerics is responsible for appointing a new Supreme Leader. However, Israeli strikes also targeted senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and key political figures, raising questions about the regime's chain of command.
Israeli officials reportedly said they assess that Iran's defence minister and the commander of the IRGC were among those killed in the strikes on February 28.
