Donald Trump has dropped a bombshell claim: US and Israeli airstrikes have wiped out 48 top Iranian leaders in a single deadly strike. Israeli media reports say former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was among those killed in Saturday’s raids.
Ahmadinejad Dead in Deadly Strikes, Israel Confirms
Speaking to Fox News, Trump boasted, “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. It’s moving along rapidly.” Ahmadinejad, Tehran’s former mayor famous for his hardline nuclear policies and brutal 2009 election crackdown, reportedly died in the coordinated attacks, according to Israeli sources.
Tehran Reels: Supreme Leader Khamenei Also Dead
In a stunning double blow, Iran officially confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei late Saturday. Iranian state TV showed somber footage of Khamenei praying beneath a black mourning banner. The feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard hailed him as “a great leader” lost to “martyrdom.”
“We have lost a great leader and we are mourning him… the beginning of an uprising against the oppressors,” said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Tehran blamed Israel and the US for Khamenei’s death and announced 40 days of mourning. Yet no successor was named, throwing the regime into turmoil.
Trump Hints at Talks Amid Chaos
In a surprising twist, Trump told Atlantic magazine Iran’s “new leadership wants to talk,” and he’s ready to negotiate. “They should have done it sooner,” he added, suggesting diplomatic talks might follow his claimed military knockout.