Trump says top Iranian leaders killed after US and Israeli strikes
Mar 1st 2026
President Trump and Iranian state media said top Iranian figures including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were killed in joint US and Israeli strikes early Saturday, while US military officials described wide ranging attacks on IRGC facilities and the first combat use of low cost one way attack drones.
- President Trump told NBC News and posted on Truth Social that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian leaders were killed in US and Israeli strikes.
- Iranian state television and the state news agency IRNA also posted that Khamenei was killed and later reported the deaths of Ali Shamkhani and IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour.
- The strikes began at 1:15 a.m. ET as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to US Central Command.
- CENTCOM said targets included IRGC command and control, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields, and that strikes came from air, land and sea.
- The US said it used low cost one way attack drones in combat for the first time during the operation.
- Trump announced the operation from Mar-a-Lago, warned of possible American casualties, and said the strikes inflicted “tremendous damage” to Iran’s leadership.
- Most Republicans praised the strikes while Democrats and some Republicans, including Reps. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul, criticized acting without congressional approval and plan a war powers vote in the House next week.