Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in Saturday’s joint strikes executed by the United States and Israel, President Donald Trump confirmed.
“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
The death of Khamenei marks a major turning point in the Middle East, where President Donald Trump announced earlier Saturday the U.S. military is undertaking a “massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”
The president said the U.S., in joint operations with Israel, will “destroy” Iran’s missiles and “ensure that terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces.”
However, Trump cautioned that the war launched against Iran could result in American casualties. “That often happens in war,” he said in a presidential address early Saturday.
The president’s military action, which did not seek authorization from Congress as required by the Constitution, was quickly slammed by Democrats in Congress, though praised by Republicans. The strikes also sparked protests in U.S. cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City.
U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, called on Congress to pass a War Powers resolution to end Trump’s military campaign in the Middle East.
“Donald Trump promised to keep America out of costly and endless foreign wars. He is now doing the exact opposite,” Jeffries said in a statement.
Trump’s 2024 presidential opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, also called out the president’s war on Iran.
“Donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want. Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm’s way for the sake of Trump’s war of choice,” said Harris. “This is a dangerous and unnecessary gamble with American lives that also jeopardizes stability in the region and our standing in the world. What we are witnessing is not strength. It is recklessness dressed up as resolve.”
While the former vice president said she understands the threat Iran poses and that it should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, “this is not the way to dismantle that threat.”
The latest strikes in Iran come after Trump ordered strikes on the Islamic nation’s nuclear facilities in June 2025. At that time, Trump said the U.S. “obliterated” Iran’s enrichment capabilities.
“That, too, was a lie,” said Harris.
The former presidential nominee argued that even if Trump had received authorization from Congress, the latest strikes in Iran are “unwise, unjustified, and not supported by the American people.”
“There can be no equivocation in our opposition to Donald Trump’s war of choice, and Congress must use all available power to prevent him from further committing us to this conflict. Our troops, our allies, and the American people deserve nothing less,” she said.
