What Happens Now That Khamenei Is Dead and Iran Has No Clear Successor to Its 35-Year Supreme Leader

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed in a joint military operation by the US and Israel, senior Israeli officials confirmed on Saturday, 28 February 2026. The 86-year-old cleric, who had ruled the Islamic Republic for nearly four decades, was targeted in a series of coordinated strikes that also eliminated several of the country's most senior military commanders, leaving Tehran's chain of command in acute disarray.

A senior Israeli official confirmed that Khamenei was killed in the strikes — described as a massive blow to the regime that could accelerate its collapse, an outcome both US and Israeli officials have stated as a goal of their operation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained Khamenei was alive, saying: 'As far as I know, yes, they are alive. Almost all officials are safe, and sound, and alive. We may have lost one or two commanders, but that is not a big problem.'

A Regime Struck at Its Core

Israeli officials expressed cautious optimism that Khamenei was among several senior Iranian leaders targeted in coordinated strikes at multiple locations where they had gathered. Those also believed to have been targeted included Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council; the defence minister; the head of military intelligence; and Iran's armed forces chief of staff.

The operation, named 'Operation Roaring Lion', was described by the Israeli military as a precision campaign built on thousands of hours of intelligence work, designed to 'identify an operational opportunity at the moment when senior regime officials would convene.' Satellite imagery showed heavy destruction at Khamenei's compound in Tehran following the strikes.

No Heir, No Clear Path Forward

The immediate question gripping governments worldwide is who — or what — comes next. Under Iran's constitution, a council of clerics is meant to select a new supreme leader — but the strikes also targeted senior IRGC commanders and political leaders, leaving the regime's chain of command in disarray at precisely the moment it must function.

Iran's constitution also states that if the supreme leader dies in office, the Assembly of Experts — an 88-member clerical body — is required to convene immediately and appoint a successor. Until that appointment is made, a Provisional Leadership Council consisting of the president, the chief justice and one cleric from the Guardian Council is mandated to carry out the supreme leader's interim duties.

As of January 2026, no person had been officially declared or publicly nominated as Khamenei's heir. Potential candidates include his son Mojtaba Khamenei, close aides Sadiq Larijani and Mohsen Araki, and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder Ruhollah Khomeini.

Whether the IRGC moves to seize control — or whether the strikes create the popular opening that Netanyahu and Trump have both called for — remains unclear. In November 2025, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned in parliamentary remarks that harm to Khamenei could cause internal factions to turn on each other, potentially triggering regime collapse without further external intervention.

Trump and Netanyahu's Stated Goal

Both Washington and Tel Aviv have made no effort to conceal the broader ambition behind the strikes. Trump, before calling on the Iranian people to 'take over' their government, said: 'Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.' Netanyahu echoed this, saying the joint operation would 'create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.'

Iran has retaliated, firing missiles at Israeli and US targets. Iran fired 150 missiles at Israel, with 89 people lightly injured, and also targeted US-allied states in the region. One person was killed in the UAE after Iranian missiles were intercepted, with Abu Dhabi condemning the attack as a violation of its sovereignty.

Khamenei took power in 1989 following the death of revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and spent 35 years consolidating near-total control over the Iranian state. As supreme leader, he held authority over the judiciary, state media, and all security forces — including the IRGC. His death does not only mark the end of an era for Iran — it opens one of the most unpredictable power transitions the Middle East has seen in decades, with consequences that will reach far beyond Tehran's borders.