Iran vows to avenge supreme leader's killing as Israel bombards Tehran

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks after casting his vote for the presidential runoff election in Tehran, Iran, Friday, July 5, 2024. Iranians began voting Friday in a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month, as public apathy has become pervasive in the Islamic Republic after years of economic woes, mass protests and tensions in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
• Live Updates Live Updates
Vahid Salemi/AP
• Live Updates Live Updates
Live Updates Tehran launches fresh retaliatory attacks as it confirms death of decades-long leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes
• Obituary Obituary
Obituary The Ayatollah ruled Iran with an iron fist, facing off against the US and Israel while crushing dissent
Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who ruled Iran with an iron fist as its supreme leader for nearly four decades, facing off against the US and Israel while crushing dissent and advancing a controversial nuclear program at home, has been killed, a seismic development that plunges his nation and the region into uncharted territory.
Smoke rises from vicinity of Crowne Plaza hotel in Bahrain
Who might replace Iran’s supreme leader? There’s no clear successor
Iran’s clerical regime now faces the prospect of trying to find a successor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his killing in joint US-Israeli strikes.
Death toll at Iranian girls’ school hit in strike rises to 148
Live Updates
Pro-Iranian protesters killed in Karachi after storming US consulate compound
Oil tanker attacked near coast of Oman
Israel targets "heart of Tehran" in new wave of strikes
UAE will not “sit idly by” amid Iranian missile barrage, official tells CNN
Iran is unleashing a 2nd day of retaliatory strikes after the killing of its supreme leader. Catch up here
See all updates (289+)

More top stories

Weekend reads

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States waves from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. Vatican Media/Francesco Sforza/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Francesco Sforza/Vatican Media/Reuters
How Pope Leo was elected: New details of dramatic conclave battle revealed

Epstein files

Science & Discovery

The blue-and-white porcelain is intricately decorated.
Michael Flecker/Science Direct
Record haul of rare Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain discovered at shipwreck off Singapore

Art & Style

More US Politics

Crime & courts

Business & Technology

Celebrities & Entertainment

Travel & beyond

Health & Wellness

Climate & Extreme Weather

Sports Report

CNN Shorts

K-pop Everything

Show all

More from CNN

Aerial shots of the turquoise water, reef formations, beach and shipwreck at Henrietta Rocks.
Russell Ord/Rottnest Island Authority
Campers sleeping on unmarked graves: The dark history behind an island paradise
Rottnest Island, or Wadjemup, is famous for its beautiful beaches and cuddly quokkas. But the isle has a dark history.