Global Tensions Soar As US/Israeli-Iran War Claims Life Of Khamenei

Trump, Netanyahu say body retrieved from compound
Iranian missiles hit Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, S’Arabia, others

BY Austine Odo and Innocent odoh, with agency report

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who turned the country into a powerful anti-U.S. force and extended its military influence across the Middle East while crushing repeated domestic unrest, was killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes yesterday, a senior Israeli official told Reuters late yesterday.

Though there was no immediate Iranian confirmation of his fate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were growing signs that Khamenei was “gone” after the US and Israeli strikes.Both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu said they were shown the picture of his body retrieved from his destroyed compound.

Satellite images earlier showed damage to Khamenei’s compound in Tehran, and unconfirmed reports in Israel and the US said he was killed, according to the BBC.

The United States and Israel carried out military strikes on Iran yesterday, targeting its top leaders. President Donald Trump said the strikes would end a security threat to the U.S. and give Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.

Khamenei, 86, became Iran’s highest authority in 1989, following the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Reuters reports that as supreme leader, he held ultimate control over Iran’s political, military and religious institutions, shaping domestic policy and guiding foreign relations.

Israel long saw him as a destabilising force in the Middle East, citing his backing for Iran’s network of militant allies, including Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. When Israel and Iran fought a 12-day air war in June 2025, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to assassinate him, saying the supreme leader “cannot continue to exist.”

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency assessed in the two weeks prior to the attacks that if Khamenei was killed in the operation, he could be replaced by hardline figures from the Revolutionary Guards, two sources briefed on the intelligence said.

The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment at press time yesterday.

Nigeria Joins Global Community To Urge Restraint After US, Israel Attack Iran

Meanwhile, as the global community and world leaders have urged restraint after the United States and Israel launched a major assault on Iran on Saturday, the Nigerian government has joined the rest of the to call for restraint.

A statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of the Nigerian  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa,  said, “The government of Nigeria wishes to call on parties to the conflict to de-escalate the crisis by returning to the negotiation table for the interests of global peace and coexistence.”

Elsewhere in the United States, President Trump said the attack was intended to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program and lead to a change in government, after several rounds of nuclear talks involving the two sides failed to reach a deal.

However, Iran’s foreign ministry asked the United Nations Security Council “to take immediate action to confront the violation of international peace and security.”

Also reacting to the conflict, the British government said it had not participated in the strikes and did “not want to see further escalation into a wider regional conflict.” It added that it had recently enhanced its defensive capabilities in the Middle East, adding that its immediate priority was the safety of British citizens in the region.

“Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and that is why we have continually supported efforts to reach a negotiated solution,” the government said in a statement.

In its reaction, the German government, through its spokesman, said in a statement that Germany had been informed by Israel in advance of the strikes. Chancellor Friedrich Merz “is monitoring the development closely and is in close coordination with European partners,” the statement said. Mr Merz is scheduled to meet Mr Trump in Washington next week.

French President Emmanuel Macron, on his part, called for an end to the attacks and asked for a Security Council meeting. He also wrote that the Iranian leadership “must understand that it now has no other option than to engage in good-faith negotiations” over its nuclear program, and added that the Iranian people “must also be able to build their future freely.”

From Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the few leaders who did not publicly urge restraint. “We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran from continuing to threaten international peace and security,” he said in a statement. He said Iran has been a “destabilising force” for decades, and cited two recent terrorist attacks in Australia that the government said were directed by an arm of the Iranian military.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his foreign minister, Anita Anand, backed the American action. “Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” they said in a statement.

And from the European Union (EU), Kaja Kallas, the top EU diplomat, said she had spoken to Israel’s foreign minister and other officials in the region and was “coordinating closely with Arab partners to explore diplomatic paths.” The E.U.’s top executive, Ursula von der Leyen, and its top political leader, Antonio Costa, wrote in a joint statement that it was crucial to prevent “any actions that could further escalate tensions or undermine the global nonproliferation regime.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the attacks by the United States and Israel, calling them “an escalation.” He also condemned Iran’s government. “We cannot afford another prolonged and devastating war in the Middle East,” he wrote.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called for restraint but also condemned Iran for killing its own citizens, in an apparent reference to protests in January that were violently crushed by the government. He said that Iran’s support for terrorist groups has long been “destabilising,” and that it should never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

In Lebanon, top leaders called on all parties to prioritise the welfare of Iranian citizens. The remarks appeared directed at the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, amid questions over whether the weakened, Iran-backed organisation might attempt to enter the conflict in support of Iran.

In another development, the authorities in Saudi Arabia have called the reports of retaliatory Iranian strikes on Arab nations, including Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, “a blatant violation” of their national sovereignty. “Saudi Arabia affirms its full solidarity and support for these brotherly nations, pledging all its resources to assist them in any measures they take,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on social media.

In Switzerland, the government said it was “deeply alarmed” by the strikes. It called for “full respect of international law” and urged all parties “to exercise maximum restraint” and to protect civilians.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on social media that the attacks had brought the Middle East to the brink of catastrophe. “I urge the United States and Iran to pursue a diplomatic off-ramp rather than further escalation, and the international community to act with urgency and without double standards,” he said.

In Indonesia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on social media that it “deeply regrets the failure of negotiations between the United States and Iran.” Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto, is ready and willing to travel to Tehran to “facilitate dialogue to restore a conducive security situation,” the statement said.

From Beijing, China’s foreign ministry said on social media that Beijing was “highly concerned” by the strikes. “Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected,” the ministry said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attacks, saying they violated Iran’s sovereignty and endangered its people, though he also said Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Persian Gulf countries were “unacceptable.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the attacks, calling them “a flagrant violation of International Law and the UN Charter.” Mr Díaz-Canel said on social media that the “international community must act immediately to stop this aggression and escalation.”