Iran confirms leader Khamenei’s death. Maps, images show US attack

Iran state media officially reported that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran that started early Saturday, Feb. 28, confirming earlier statements by President Donald Trump and multiple media outlets.

Iranian Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour have also been killed, Reuters reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Khamenei's Tehran compound was destroyed and that Revolutionary Guard commanders and senior nuclear officials were killed, according Reuters. Satellite imagery captured by Airbus show smoke billowing from Khamenei's residence.

The deaths were disclosed as the U.S. and Israel continued “major combat operations” against Iran throughout the day. At least 201 people were killed and about 747 injured in the attacks across 24 provinces, according to Iranian media, citing Red Crescent.

At least 85 people were reported killed at a girls' school in the the southern county of Minab in Iran, according to Al Jazeera, citing state-run media.

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Trump announced the attack, part of “a massive and ongoing operation” in an 8-minute video posted on Truth Social at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time. Trump said the attacks would halt Iran’s military and nuclear weapons program and end its leadership.

“When we are finished, take over your government,” Trump said, addressing the Iranian people. “Seize control of your destiny.”

Details are unclear but explosions were heard in Tehran at about 9:45 a.m. local time, according to Reuters, citing Iranian media. Smoke was seen over areas in which the Iranian presidential palace and the National Security Council are located, the New York Times reported.

The U.S. and Israeli military began striking targets at 1:15 am on Feb. 28 to "dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus," according to a statement from U.S. Central Command posted on social media.

Targets included "Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields," according to the statement.

What U.S. bases did Iran target?

Iran is striking back with missile attacks on several U.S. military bases on the Persian Gulf, including:

• Bahrain: U.S. Navy base, Fifth Fleet headquarters
• Kuwait: Ali Al Salem Air Base, home to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
• Qatar: Al Udeid Air Base, major USAF hub and refueling base for U.S. aircraft
• United Arab Emirates: Al Dhafra Air Base, home to 380th Air Expeditionary Wing

A U.S. Central Command statement indicated that U.S. forces successfully defended against hundreds of missile and drone attacks following the initial strikes against Iran. "There have been no reports of U.S. casualties or combat-related injuries."

Israel identified missiles launched from Iran toward its territory, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. It did not specify how many or the targets. Iran has not commented on the assertion.

In Jordan, officials said the military shot down two ballistic missiles fired from Iran. The Jordanian targets were not known, but the U.S. has military bases there.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said Iran targeted Riyadh and other sites in the east. It said the attacks were repelled.

Israeli's military said Iran has launched several missiles into Israel and that it was using anti-missile systems to repel them. State media reported explosions detected across northern Israel, near Israel's border with Lebanon.

Explosions were reported in Tel Aviv. There was no immediate information on casualties or damage.

Why did the U.S. attack Iran?

Trump said Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program after the U.S. bombed facilities last June. He said Iran was developing long-range missiles that would threaten American allies and U.S. troops overseas and that the weapons "could soon reach the American homeland."

A senior U.S. official speaking under condition of anonymity said the Trump administration thought Iran could take preemptive action and Trump determined he was not going to allow American forces in the region to absorb missile attacks. The official said the U.S. had an analysis indicating Americans casualties and damage would be higher if Iran struck first than if the U.S. acted preemptively.

Iran refused to discuss its ballistic missile program with the United States, according to the official. Another official said the U.S. had intelligence showing Tehran was rebuilding three nuclear sites bombed last summer.

Trump administration officials said that they determined that Iran was seeking to preserve its ability to enrich uranium so that over time they could make a nuclear bomb. Iran has said it seeks to use enriched uranium for civilian purposes.

U.S. staged forces around Middle East before attack

Ahead of the strikes, the U.S. embassy in Israel told non-essential diplomatic workers and their families in an email early Feb. 27 to leave Israel as soon as possible. The email did not mention Iran.

The U.S. has two aircraft carrier strike groups near Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford.

The Pentagon said the U.S. strikes on Iran were named "Operation Epic Fury."

What weapons does Iran have?

U.S. bases in neighboring countries are well within reach of Iran's arsenal of short- and medium-range missiles. Here are the missiles Iran is known to have launched the past, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Iran retains a large number of short-range ballistic missiles it could use to strike U.S. bases in the Middle East. Nations with key U.S. bases in the Middle East that could be vulnerable to Iranian ballistic missiles include Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

How did we get here?

In May 2018, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an international agreement designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for easing economic sanctions.

Trump said the pact, known as the Iran nuclear deal, was flawed and did not do enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. U.S. sanctions were later reimposed on Iran.

Iran began ignoring the deal’s provisions and accumulating low-enriched uranium beyond limitations, according to a July 19 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran has increased its stockpile of near-weapons-grade material since then and has limited inspections by international organizations. If diplomacy fails, Trump has threatened military force to prevent Iran from making nuclear weapons.

The U.S. attacked Iranian nuclear facilities with stealth bombers, a guided missile submarine, and an array of support aircraft in a night operation called "Midnight Hammer" on June 21, 2025.

Trump announced announced that military operation in a Saturday night address, stating that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities were "obliterated." He threatened future attacks if Iran did not "make peace."

What weapons has the U.S. used against Iran?

The recent Feb. 28 attack on Iran appears to have been carried out with Tomahawk cruise missiles. U.S. Central Command stated that low-cost one-way attack drones were used for the first time in combat.

The June 2025 attack on Iran's nuclear sites included the use of GBU-57 A/B MOP bunker-busting bombs.

What happened after the June 2025 attack?

Days after the U.S. attack on Fordow on June 23, 2025 Iran launched a missile attack on U.S. military installations in Qatar it was the first counterattack from Iran, something the Pentagon has braced for since it's June 21 mission.

Trump said Iran fired 14 missiles at a U.S. military base in Qatar. Thirteen missiles were intercepted, and the 14th was deemed nonthreatening.

There were no American or Qatari casualties reported and very little damage from the attack, Trump said.

What sites did the US attack in June 2025?

U.S. bombers and fighter jets hit three Iranian nuclear sites during Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025:

Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, deep under a mountainside near the city of Qom.

Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant, in the Isfahan Province.

Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, near Isfahan, including surface buildings and tunnel access.

Contributing: Kim Hjemgaard, Francesca Chambers, Michael Collins, Will Carless, and Shawn J. Sullivan.

Sources: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; Council on Foreign Relations; Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation; Arms Control Association; securitycouncilreport.org; U.S. Naval Institute; Nuclear Threat Initiative

This is a developing story which we will continue to update.