Iranian media on Sunday reported that the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, were killed in the coordinated strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.
Bellnews reports that the development comes hours after United States President, Donald Trump, announced that Khamenei himself had been killed in the operation launched on Saturday.
Fars News Agency and other Iranian outlets said the deaths were confirmed after contacts were established with sources close to the Supreme Leader’s household.
“After establishing contact with informed sources in the Supreme Leader’s household, the news of the martyrdom of the daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter of the Revolutionary Leader has unfortunately been confirmed,” the agency reported.
Khamenei is said to have six children, including three daughters, though it was not immediately clear which of them was killed in the strike.
Earlier, Trump declared on his Truth Social platform that the 86-year-old Iranian leader had been killed.
Trump wrote, “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. 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.
“There was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”
The US president described the development as a turning point for Iran.
“This is the single greatest chance” for the Iranian people to take back their country, he said. Trump further warned that operations would continue.
He said the heavy and pinpoint bombing would proceed uninterrupted throughout the week, “or as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD.”