ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed, although Iran’s state-linked news agency and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the death claims.
Trump described Khamenei as a longstanding adversary of the United States and suggested the reported killing marked a response to the regime’s actions over decades.
Trump, however, said that strikes against Iran will continue.
“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.”
Diverging accounts surfaced on Saturday regarding the status of Iran’s Supreme Leader following joint Israeli and US strikes, as regional tensions intensified.
🚨Statement from President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/0OrCjGVupx
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 28, 2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains alive.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News, Araghchi said, “As far as I know, the Supreme Leader is alive,” adding that “almost all officials are safe and sound and alive.”
Breaking 🚨
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi Confirmed :
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive, All high-ranking officials are alive everything is fine. pic.twitter.com/Bm4ThDjI4B
— Iran Times (@IranTimes9) February 28, 2026
He acknowledged that Iran may have lost “one or two commanders,” but described it as “not a big problem.”
Responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump, who announced “major combat operations” targeting Iran’s military infrastructure, Araghchi called efforts to topple Iran’s leadership “Mission Impossible.”
He argued that efforts to topple the system would fail because “you cannot do regime change while millions of people are supporting this so-called regime,” but added that Tehran is “certainly interested in de-escalation” and open to talks if Washington chooses to engage.
Araghchi downplayed the impact of the strikes, saying Iran was able to launch retaliation “in less than two hours,” and insisted the country’s missile program is defensive.
“We have intentionally kept the range of our missiles below 2,000 kilometers,” he said, confirming they are not capable of reaching the US mainland.
“Our missiles are only for deterrence and defense. They are not for aggression.” He also condemned what he described as an attack on a girls’ primary school in Minab, calling it “unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate.”
Earlier, Israeli officials asserted that Khamenei was killed in a large-scale assault on Iran conducted by Israel and the United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were indications that Khamenei may no longer be alive, but stopped short of formally confirming his death, stating that “there are many indications he is no longer.”
Netanyahu added that the Supreme Leader’s residential compound had been destroyed and claimed that senior members of the Revolutionary Guard and leading nuclear officials were also killed in the attacks.
He further urged Iranians to “take to the streets and finish the job,” signalling support for public action against Tehran’s leadership.
Addressing the nation
Earlier, Iran’s Al-Alam television reported that Khamenei was expected to deliver an address to the nation, though no broadcast had taken place by late Saturday.
The reported strikes were said to have targeted senior Iranian figures and strategic facilities, including the Supreme Leader’s office. In response, Iran fired missiles at Israel and US-linked positions in the region, heightening concerns of a wider and sustained conflict.
