Reactions and statements from the international community
Prince Reza Pahlavi issued a statement to Iranians following reports of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, declaring that with Khamenei's demise, the Islamic Republic has effectively ended and will soon be consigned to history.
An open-source intelligence account claims multiple senior Iranian military and security officials, including the head of the IRGC Ground Forces and the Supreme Leader's security adviser, have been eliminated. The list includes several high-ranking defense ministry and intelligence officials.
During the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday, the eighth of Esfand, seven senior Iranian officials were killed, including Mohammad Pakpour, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Islamic Republic's Defense Council, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defense. Other casualties included Hossein Jabal Amelian, Reza Mozaffari-Nia, Mohammad Shirazi, and Saleh Asadi.
CNN, citing an Israeli source, reported that Israel has obtained an image of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's body. An additional source indicated that an official statement regarding this matter is being prepared.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, announced in a video message to the Israeli public that signs indicate Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, may no longer be alive, and that Israel has targeted and killed several Iranian officials, including commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and senior nuclear program officials. Netanyahu also stated that thousands more targets belonging to the "terrorist regime" will be attacked in the coming days.
According to this source, a failed IRGC missile launch destroyed a school operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that served families of IRGC personnel.
U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday that American forces, in conjunction with Israel, successfully repelled hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks, with no American casualties reported. The U.S. began striking Iranian targets at 9:45 a.m. Tehran time, hitting IRGC command centers, air defense systems, missile and drone sites, and military air bases, using low-cost drones as part of Operation Epic Wrath.
The United States and Israel have initiated and are continuing attacks aimed at eliminating leaders of the Islamic Republic and bringing about regime change in Iran, according to Reuters.
Ismail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, told the BBC World Service that he could not confirm any information regarding the health status of Ali Khamenei. Baghaei also stated that Iran is defending against "unprovoked and unjustified aggressive action" by Israel.
Reuters, citing a European Union Maritime Mission official, reported that ships passing through the Persian Gulf received radio messages from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps stating that no ships have permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This message was transmitted via VHF marine radio on Saturday, March 1, 2025, though Iran has not officially confirmed this directive.
Media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that IRGC forces have been issuing repeated high-frequency messages to ships transiting the Sea of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, warning them not to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
A European Union maritime mission official reported that ships passing through the Persian Gulf received a radio message from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps prohibiting any ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The messages were transmitted via marine radio.
