Trending Now - Challenges Ahead for Regime Change in Post-khamenei Iran

WHO:

President Trump

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran (deceased)

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago

Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli military intelligence

Elliot Ackerman, CBS News contributor and former CIA officer

Zahra Haddad Adel, wife of Mojtaba Khamenei

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

U.S. military

Nicolás Maduro, former President of Venezuela

WHAT:

Israeli airstrikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other top Iranian officials.

President Trump stated he will accept nothing less than "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" from Iran.

Trump indicated he may consider ground troops in the conflict.

Mojtaba Khamenei is considered a potential candidate to replace his father as Supreme Leader.

U.S. allies in the Gulf are running low on interceptors for Iranian missiles.

The Iranian military is at war and possesses a stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

WHERE:

Iran

United States

Israel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

WHEN:

The airstrike that killed Khamenei occurred on February 27, 2026.

The articles were updated on March 6, 2026.

Khamenei was born in 1969.

WHY:

The airstrikes aimed to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat and military power.

President Trump called for the Iranian people to seize the opportunity to overthrow the government.

HOW:

Airstrikes were conducted by U.S. and Israeli forces.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks across the region.

The selection of the next Supreme Leader will be made by the 88-seat Assembly of Experts.

In a significant escalation of tensions, Israeli airstrikes on February 27 killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many top Iranian officials, prompting President Trump to demand "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" from Iran while suggesting the possibility of deploying ground troops. As the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliates with drone and missile attacks, U.S. allies in the Gulf are facing shortages of interceptors against Iranian missiles, and the military remains engaged in a conflict with a stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the deceased Supreme Leader, is emerging as a potential successor, with the next Supreme Leader to be chosen by the 88-seat Assembly of Experts.