By Middle East Correspondent
LONDON, (The Muslim News): US and Israeli forces killed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, on Saturday, hours after an airstrike on a girls’ elementary school in the southern city of Minab left 108 pupils dead.
The attack also claimed the lives of Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency confirmed the deaths through 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.
The assassination unfolded amid a sweeping US–Israeli air campaign launched in the early hours of Saturday, with coordinated strikes reported across more than 20 Iranian cities. Tehran swiftly retaliated, fuelling a surge of international condemnation and heightening fears that the confrontation could spiral into a wider regional war.
Iranian media reported heavy civilian casualties from the opening wave of attacks, particularly in Minab. According to Mizan News Agency, citing the Minab Prosecutor’s Office, the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school was directly targeted, killing 108 students. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations later described the strike as a deliberate assault on civilians during an emergency Security Council session.
Further casualties were reported in Lamerd, Fars province, where Mehr News Agency said more than 15 civilians were killed and several others injured after four residential neighbourhoods were struck. The city’s governor warned that the death toll was likely to rise as rescue operations continued.
[An infographic titled “Iranian leader Khamenei and senior officials killed in US-Israeli attacks” created in Ankara, Turkiye on March 1, 2026. Photojournalist: Bedirhan Demirel/AA]
The Iranian Red Crescent said the attacks began before dawn and had hit multiple cities. Spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi told Mehr that emergency teams had been deployed nationwide and urged residents to avoid targeted areas to allow rescue operations to proceed safely.
Washington and Tel Aviv framed the strikes as a pre-emptive measure to neutralise perceived threats from Iran’s government. In separate video statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump defended the operation, citing concerns over Iran’s nuclear and regional activities. Neither leader presented public evidence of an imminent threat.
Tehran condemned the assaults as a violation of its sovereignty and a breach of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Iranian officials vowed to exercise their right to self-defence.
Iran accuses US and Israel of war crimes
Addressing the UN Security Council, Iran’s ambassador, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said the strikes were “illegal and entirely devoid of legal foundation,” accusing the US and Israel of “deliberate and persistent targeting” of civilian infrastructure.
“This is not only an act of aggression, it is a war crime and a crime against humanity,” he said, referencing the Minab school attack.
Israeli media reported that Iranian retaliatory strikes on Tel Aviv killed one person and injured at least 20 others, with one in critical condition.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that escalating hostilities posed a “grave threat to international peace and security,” adding, “Military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region in the world.”
Separately, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, condemned the attacks, accusing the US and Israel of “destroying world peace and order” as tensions intensified. On social media platform X, he wrote, “I strongly deplore the attack on Iran by US and Israel and the cowardly complicity of States who approve this or stay silent. So many innocents will die and people’s homes [will be] destroyed because of this. US-Israel are destroying world peace and order.”
International reactions divided
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called the strikes a dangerous escalation, urging an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to prevent regional destabilisation.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the operation as a “catastrophic escalation” in an illegal war of aggression.
In contrast, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed support for the US and Israel, emphasising that Iran “must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon,” though he presented no evidence of an ongoing nuclear programme. Starmer condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US military bases but did not criticise the initial US–Israeli assault, noting that British forces were participating in coordinated defensive operations:
“Our forces are active and British planes are in the sky today as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests, and our allies — as Britain has done before, in line with international law,” he said.
The E3 powers — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — issued a joint statement reiterating demands that Iran curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and halt destabilising regional activities, making no reference to Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal or its recent operations.
In the Asia-Pacific, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed US action aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul cautioned that such pre-emptive military action without explicit Security Council authorisation may violate the UN Charter.
South Korea and Japan expressed concern over the situation, urging de-escalation and highlighting the risks to global energy security. Bangladesh called for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, stressing the need for maximum restraint and diplomatic engagement.
Meanwhile, Ayatullah Ali Al-Sistani, leading religious leader of Twelver Shia Muslims based in Najaf, Iraq, condemned the assassination of Khamenei.
“With deep sorrow, I offer my condolences to the noble people of Iran and all Muslims worldwide on the martyrdom of the esteemed Leader of the Islamic Republic, Grand Ayatollah Mr. Khamenei (may God be pleased with him). The exalted position of that great man and his unique role in steering the Islamic Republic system over many years is clear to all. Undoubtedly, the enemies, by martyring him and launching a widespread military aggression against the country, seek to harm dear Iran. It is expected from the great nation of this land to, in these difficult and sensitive circumstances, maintain unity and national cohesion and not allow the aggressors to achieve their evil goals.
I ask Almighty God for the deceased to be granted the highest ranks and divine pleasure, and for all those who mourn patience and great reward.”
[Photo: Thick plumes of smoke rise over the residential areas of the Iranian capital following airstrikes amid ongoing U.S.–Israel attacks as multiple explosions are heard across the city in Tehran, Iran on March 01, 2026. Photojournalist: Fatemeh Bahram/AA]
