The Islamic Republic has officially announced the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hours after declaring the 86-year-old was “safe and sound”.
The Ayatollah was killed at his office on Saturday morning following a US-Israeli strike, Iranian state TV has confirmed.
In the aftermath of his death, 40 days of public mourning have been declared across the country.
On Iranian state news channel IRINN, images of the late leader reciting the Qur’an were broadcast beneath a black banner.
The presenter read a statement from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirming the 86-year-old’s death.
Israel and the US were blamed, with the statement describing the Ayatollah’s “martyrdom” as the beginning of an “uprising against the oppressors”.
More to follow…
