Trump says Iran's supreme leader killed in US-Israeli strikes, Tehran insists Khamenei is ‘safe and sound’
US President Donald Trump claimed late on Saturday that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli strikes, an announcement that was earlier denied by Iran's foreign minister, state media and his personal office.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social Platform, Trump said that Khamenei had been killed and that his death had delivered justice not only "for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans".
"He [Khamenei] was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do," Trump said.
"This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country," Trump added.
The US president then claimed that many of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, military and other security and police forces "no longer want to fight", suggesting he would now be willing to give them "immunity".
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Significantly, the US president also said that "heavy and pinpoint bombing" would continue "uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective".
Middle East Eye could not independently verify Trump's claims and the US president did not provide any evidence on the killing.
Trump's comments came hours after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Khamenei was still alive "as far as I know".
"Almost all officials are safe and sound and alive. We may have lost one or two commanders, but that is not a big problem," he told NBC News.
Iran's Tasnim and Mehr news agencies also denied the reports over Khamenei's death, saying the Supreme Leader remained "steadfast and firm in commanding the field".
In what appeared to be a response to the claims, the head of public relations at Khamenei's office then accused the country's enemies of "mental warfare".
"The enemy is resorting to mental warfare, all should be aware," the public relations official was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier claimed there were "many signs" suggesting Khamenei was killed.
Saturday’s strikes on Iran targeted 24 provinces, killing at least 201 people, according to Iranian media reports, citing the Red Crescent.
Iran responded with a wave of counterattacks, targeting Israel and US military assets across the Middle East.
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