Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

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Iran Official: Ground Troops Will Be 'Big Disaster' for US

Foreign Minister Araghchi says Iranian forces are ready to repel them

(Newser) - The White House has not ruled out the possibility of sending ground troops into Iran, and the Iranian foreign minister says he assumes those soldiers are coming. When Tom Llamas of NBC News asked Abbas Araghchi if Tehran feared the development, Araghchi responded, "No, we are waiting for them—...

They Bet Khamenei Would Be 'Out' but Saw Payout Evaporate

Kalshi refunds all fees, bets tied to Khamenei market

(Newser) - Prediction market Kalshi dangled what looked like a big win, then yanked it back, some bettors complain. After news broke of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's killing, users who had wagered he'd be "out as Supreme Leader" by April saw green check marks on their screens—until Kalshi froze...

Khamenei's Likely Successor Emerges
Khamenei's Likely
Successor Emerges
Mar 4, 2026 12:00 AM CST

Khamenei's Likely Successor Emerges

Reclusive Mojtaba Khamenei backed by Revolutionary Guards amid succession talks

(Newser) - Iran's powerful clerical body is moving toward a dynastic handoff at the very top. Three Iranian officials who spoke to the New York Times say Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has emerged as the leading candidate to inherit his father's post...

Legality of Khamenei's Killing Is a Murky Area
Legality of Khamenei's
Killing Is a Murky Area
analysis
Mar 3, 2026 10:59 AM CST

Legality of Khamenei's Killing Is a Murky Area

US law forbids assassinations, but presidents have gotten leeway on killings since 9/11

(Newser) - The US-Israeli assault on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the very first day of strikes. In a New York Times analysis, Charlie Savage points out that it "is extraordinarily rare for a country to deliberately and openly kill the leader of another sovereign nation—even during...

Trump: Decision to Strike Iran Was 'Very Simple'

President says Tehran would not stop progress toward a nuclear weapon

(Newser) - President Trump has kept a relatively low profile since the Iran military operation began, but he has given a series of short interviews to various news outlets. In a conversation with NBC News , for example, the president said the decision to authorize the operation wasn't difficult. "They weren'...

Hegseth: This Is Not a 'Regime Change War'

Defense chief and top general brief the nation

(Newser) - The nation's top two military officials gave their first public briefing about the military operation in Iran, and both declined to put a specific timeline on how long it may last, reports the New York Times . (Earlier, President Trump suggested four to five weeks .) Highlights from the press...

Trump Floats Weeks-Long Military Campaign in Iran

President offers different scenarios on how things might play out

(Newser) - President Trump said in a quick interview on Sunday that the US is prepared to continue the military campaign against Iran for four to five weeks. "It won't be difficult," Trump told the New York Times . "We have tremendous amounts of ammunition. You know, we have...

Oil Prices Surge More Than 8% on Fears of Iran War

Traders eye Hormuz choke point as tankers halt amid strikes

(Newser) - Oil traders jolted awake Sunday night as crude prices leapt more than 8% on fears that a widening US-Iran conflict could choke a crucial energy artery, CNBC reports. By early evening, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up $5.55 at $72.57 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent crude...

'Am I Dreaming?' Some Iranians Celebrate in Streets

But mourners also emerge in Tehran after death of Khamenei

(Newser) - After Iranian state TV confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , the news led to competing public demonstrations of mourning and jubilation in Tehran and other Iranian cities, reports Reuters . State TV showed mourners clad in black, some of them weeping and carrying photos of Khamenei in a...

Amid Strikes on Iran, a Search for Its Supreme Leader

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly moved to 'secure' site outside Tehran as US, Israel attack

(Newser) - Questions mounted on Saturday over the whereabouts of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after US and Israeli forces carried out daytime strikes on the Iranian capital of Tehran, with an early hit reported near his central offices there, per NDTV . A source told Reuters that Khamenei had already been...

Trump: I'm Considering Limited Strike on Iran

President acknowledges possible move amid nuclear talks

(Newser) - President Trump is openly weighing whether to hit Iran with what he calls a "limited" military strike if it refuses to accept new curbs on its nuclear program. Asked Friday if such an option was on the table to push Tehran toward a deal, the president replied, "I...

Trump: Next 10 Days Will Tell the Tale on Iran
Trump Has a 10-Day
Warning for Iran
Feb 19, 2026 12:16 PM CST

Trump Has a 10-Day Warning for Iran

President suggests military action will follow if nuclear talks fail

(Newser) - President Trump says Iran has roughly a week and a half to decide whether it wants a nuclear deal—or a military strike. Speaking at the first meeting of his new Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday, Trump said the world would see "over the next, probably, 10...

Deal or War? It's a Crucial Day for US and Iran

Trump, ayatollah each issue threats as nuclear talks resume

(Newser) - It's a crucial day for US-Iranian relations as talks resume on Tehran's nuclear program. Axios sees the summit in Geneva as a possible "make or break moment" that will determine whether the nations strike a deal or head to a military conflict. The leaders of both nations...

Man's 'Chilling' Plot to Kill for Iran Gets Him 15 Years

Carlisle Rivera schemed to assassinate Iranian American writer Masih Alinejad

(Newser) - A federal judge gave a would-be assassin the maximum 15 years in prison on Wednesday for plotting to kill an Iranian American writer on behalf of Tehran, after hearing the woman who was targeted describe multiple attempts on her life. Judge Lewis J. Liman said Carlisle Rivera's written conversations...

Iran Warns US Move Against Khamenei Would Mean War

Threat follows Trump's suggestion about a change at the top

(Newser) - Iran's president warned Sunday that his country would consider any US attack on its top leader to be a declaration of war. In what appeared to be a response to President Trump's comment the day before to Politico that "It's time to look for new leadership...

Aides Brief Trump on Options Against Iran

Protesters return to streets as parliament speaker warns of retaliation

(Newser) - President Trump has been briefed on fresh options, including military operations, that the US could take against Iran in support of the protests there that have stretched into a second week. Advisers have presented possibilities including striking nonmilitary targets in Tehran and elements of government security forces accused of using...

Despite Threats, Iranian Protesters Turn Out, Praise Deposed Monarchy

Khamenei denounces demonstrators and Trump, signaling a crackdown

(Newser) - Iran's top leader is signaling he's ready to meet the biggest unrest in years with more force, not concessions. In his first public remarks since nationwide demonstrations erupted on Dec. 28, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed protesters as "vandals" and foreign-backed "saboteurs," accusing them of damaging...

Iranians Lose Internet as Protests Spread

Authorities cut connectivity as protests over economic crisis intensify

(Newser) - Iran's latest wave of unrest is now unfolding largely offline, according to an internet watchdog that says the country has effectively gone dark. NetBlocks reported on Thursday that Iran is undergoing a nationwide internet blackout, following what it described as days of tighter online controls aimed at suppressing protest...

Iran's Plunging Currency Sparks Widespread Protests

Demonstrators decry inflation as government reshuffles central bank leadership

(Newser) - Iran's plunging currency has now sparked three straight days of protests that are rippling far beyond Tehran , the BBC reports. The unrest began Sunday, when merchants in the capital's Grand Bazaar shuttered their shops after the rial hit a record low against the US dollar on the open...

Iran's Supreme Leader Resurfaces in Public

Under threat, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had gone into a bunker

(Newser) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began, attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura. The absence of Khamenei during the war had suggested heavy security for the Iranian leader, the AP reports, who...

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