Claim
On February 28, Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in American and Israeli airstrikes, and Mojtaba Khamenei was also injured in these strikes.
“28 फरवरी को जब अमेरिका और इजराइल के हवाई हमलों में ईरान के पूर्व सुप्रीम लीडर एतल्लाह खामनई की मौत हुई तब इन हमलों में मुस्तबा खामनई भी घायल हो गए थे।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
Multiple wire and mainstream sources confirm that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026 in joint American-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, and that his son Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the same strikes before being appointed the new Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026. Both factual elements of the claim (the date, the perpetrators, Khamenei's death, and Mojtaba's injury) are corroborated as of the July 2, 2026 broadcast. The descriptor 'former Supreme Leader' is retrospectively apt since Mojtaba held the office by the broadcast date, though Khamenei was the sitting leader at the time of his death — a minor phrasing looseness that does not alter the claim's substance.
Evidence
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Ali_Khamenei Confirms Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, 2026 in joint Israeli-US airstrikes on Tehran, with the Israeli Air Force executing strikes supported by US Air Force and Navy assets; Iran confirmed the death and Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/nx-s1-5730158/israel-iran-strikes-trump-us NPR wire reporting from February 28, 2026 that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the US-Israel strikes. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/03/11/iran-ayatollah-Mojtaba-khamenei-injured/5961773249529/ Reports Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the same attack that killed his father. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.euronews.com/2026/03/12/missing-in-action-what-we-know-about-mojtaba-khameneis-condition Details Mojtaba Khamenei's injuries from the February 28 strikes (fractured foot, facial lacerations per CNN; Iran's Health Ministry acknowledged superficial injuries to face, head and legs). ✗ unreachable · HTTP 406
- https://www.arabnews.com/node/2644911/middle-east Reports Mojtaba Khamenei suffered wounds in the US-Israel strike, corroborating that he was injured in the attacks. ✓ reachable · archived