A message invoking Haidar, the first Shia Imam, was posted from Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s account on social media platform X hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Khamenei had been killed.
The post, written in Persian, read: “Be nām-e nāmi-ye Heydar, alayhis-salām,” which translates to, “In the exalted name of Haidar (peace be upon him).” The message appeared on the verified Persian-language account associated with Khamenei.
The post followed a late-night statement by Trump on Truth Social, in which he said Khamenei had been killed in a joint US-Israel strike on Tehran.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead,” Trump wrote. He said the cleric was tracked using “highly sophisticated tracking systems” and described the killing as “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country.”
On Sunday morning, Iran’s state television confirmed that Khamenei had been killed in the recent strikes. The Iranian government announced 40 days of mourning.
Iranian media reported that Khamenei was killed in the early hours of Saturday, following coordinated strikes that began that morning.
Reports said several members of Khamenei’s family were also killed, including his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law.
Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Pakpour, were also reported killed in the strikes, according to Iranian media.
The developments follow coordinated US-Israel military action targeting sites in Tehran. Trump confirmed in a video message posted earlier that “major combat operations in Iran” had begun, describing the operation as aimed at Iran’s missile arsenal and naval capabilities.
The escalation comes amid heightened tensions in the region over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme. US and Israeli officials have previously warned Tehran against further advancement of its missile and nuclear capabilities.
Khamenei had served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. As Supreme Leader, he was the country’s highest political and religious authority, with control over the armed forces and significant influence over Iran’s domestic and foreign policy.
Iran’s announcement of 40 days of mourning aligns with Shia Islamic tradition, under which a 40-day period is observed following a death.
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