Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead, US President Donald Trump said Saturday. Trump announced this on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating on the source of the information.
Trump also said that US bombing of Iran will continue as long as needed and that the killing of the country's supreme leader gives Iranians their "greatest chance" for taking power.
"The country has been, in only one day, very much destroyed and, even, obliterated. The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective," Trump said.
The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — which Iran has not yet confirmed — "is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country," Trump said in the statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier told NBC News that Khamenei was alive "as far as I know", adding that "all high-ranking officials are alive".
Also asked about Khamenei's health, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told the BBC he was "not in a situation to confirm anything", but "the whole system, the whole nation is focused on defending (our) national integrity".
Ali Larijani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said: "The brave soldiers and the great nation of Iran will teach an unforgettable lesson to the international oppressors."
In an earlier video address, Trump told Iranians the "hour of your freedom is at hand", urging them to rise up and "take over your government".
