President Donald Trump has said Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been killed alongside some other top Iranian officials.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said he was killed by US and Israeli missile strikes on his compound in Tehran.
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“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country, “ he said.
His statement comes amid speculation of Mr Khamenei’s well-being as top Iranian officials have repeatedly debunked claims that he is dead.
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The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had also earlier claimed there are “growing signs” confirming his death.
However, Mr Trump, in his post, said Mr Khamenei was unable to avoid US “intelligence and highly sophisticated tracking systems.”
“He and his other leaders had been killed along with him,” Mr Trump said, referencing top defence official Ali Shamkhani and other military officials.
“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,” he added.
“We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us. As I said last night, “Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!”,” he said.
But Iran has described reports of Mr Khamenei’s death as a “psychological warfare,” that attempts to portray a false reality.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also said Iran’s president and supreme leader are “safe and sound.”
The head of public relations at the office of Mr Khamenei, Seyyed Mahdi, also said, “The enemy has resorted to psychological warfare. We should all be careful about it.”
The fighting has continued with over 200 Iranians killed by US and Israeli missile strikes and Israel announcing the death of one person in an Iranian missile strike.
