And a whole lot more than just Ali Khamenei, although the Iranians are slow to admit as much. An hour or so ago, official media in Iran finally confirmed what everyone already knew. The brutal theocrat in charge of the radical terror state got killed while plotting the next moves in the region:
“The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran was martyred at his workplace in the Beit Rahbari (his compound)," state news agency IRIB's Telegram account said.
"He was carrying out his assigned duties and present at his place of work (his office) at the moment of martyrdom, and this attack took place in the early hours of Saturday morning," the post continued.
As I wrote earlier today, the regime didn't have much choice but to make the announcement official. As the top cleric in the country, the regime can't be seen as disrespecting Khamenei by denying him the funeral that Muslim law requires within 24 hours of death. That's doubly true when they need to try making Khamenei into a martyr, which is exactly what this rather obscene gush of propaganda aims to achieve:
Islamic regime announcing the elimination of Khamenei.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 1, 2026
Music. pic.twitter.com/kryNSNEJ1m
At least this propaganda has some production values. The female anchor delivering the news on state television practically descended into psychosis ... or just worked a lot harder to burnish Khamenei's burnoose:
Crying anchor on Iranian state TV erupts in anger following the death of Ali Khamenei:
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 1, 2026
"Trump is going to pay a price paid by no American president of all time! Revenge is coming!" pic.twitter.com/tyTjTXCUGQ
Only slightly less insane, but every bit as predictable, is the official response from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC swore to avenge Khamenei by raining hell down on America and Israel, along with all of those who allied with us. They're also pledging to continue the massacres until the Iranian people stop revolting:
“The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them,” the IRGC says in a statement.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and what it called the vast popular Basij forces will powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland,” it says.
Iran’s cabinet meanwhile warns that this “great crime will never go unanswered.”
Funny, that's exactly what we said about the abducting of American diplomats in 1979. And the Beirut barracks bombing in 1983. And the abduction of Americans throughout the Middle East in that decade, and terror plots against Americans, killing hundreds of US service members in Iraq, etc etc etc.
How's that working out for ya?
Equally amusing, Iranian state media has also exhibited insane optimism as well as inchoate rage at the failure of the regime:
State media also announces that 40 days of public mourning have been declared.
In forty days, the people working in the state media have better odds of being hung in the public square than of seeing the end of any official "mourning" period for Khamenei.
Finally, no one has heard from Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian. And unless his VP got a bad case of Al Haig Syndrome, no one's likely to hear from him again:
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref informed officials of plans to have him take charge of the nation during wartime, according to a report from the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) published on social media late Saturday night.
There was no explicit note of President Masoud Pezeshkian's ability to carry out presidential duties.
Earlier on Saturday, security forces blocked roads in the Tehran area that is home to Pezeshkian's offices, witnesses said.
They're running out of regime functionaries, it seems.
More tomorrow.
Update: Maybe Aref really does have Al Haig Syndrome ... or the regime is short-circuiting in real time:
BREAKING
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 1, 2026
Islamic Republic state media says the following three officials will act collectively as a temporary leadership council exercising the powers of the Supreme Leader.
- President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei
- A jurist from the… pic.twitter.com/dNN5PEF4cC
Interestingly, Aref isn't included here. Are we already seeing a power struggle in the regime?
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