Several family members of Iran’s Khamenei killed, state-linked agency reports

Several family members of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have been killed, Iran’s state-affiliated Fars news agency reported early Sunday.

Citing “informed sources in the supreme leader’s household,” Fars said that a daughter, a son-in-law, a grandchild and a daughter-in-law of Khamenei were among the dead.

The report came after US President Donald Trump earlier said Khamenei himself had been killed in airstrikes, a claim that Iranian state media outlets have so far denied.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling it “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country,” and adding that US military operations would continue.

The United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting top leaders and plunging the Middle East into a widening conflict. Trump said the operation would eliminate a security threat to the US and give Iranians an opportunity to topple their rulers.

Khamenei, 86, became Iran’s highest authority in 1989 following the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini. As supreme leader, he exercised ultimate control over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions, shaping domestic policy and guiding foreign relations.

The post of supreme leader was established after the 1979 revolution and enshrined in Iran’s constitution, granting a senior cleric authority above the president and parliament. The Assembly of Experts – an 88-member clerical body vetted by a hardline oversight council aligned with Khamenei – formally selects the leader.