CIA intel guided strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei: report

CIA intelligence indicating Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would attend a meeting of top Iranian officials helped guide strikes in a US and Israeli attack that killed Iran’s supreme leader, the New York Times reported Sunday (March 1, 2026).

Khamenei was killed in the strikes on capital Tehran, Iranian state media confirmed on Sunday (March 1, 2026), after the U.S. and Israel vowed to seek regime change in the Islamic republic.

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The American intelligence agency had been tracking Khamenei for months, the Times reported, citing people familiar with the operation, and learned that a meeting of top Iranian officials was set for Saturday morning at a leadership compound in the heart of Tehran.

Washington and Tel Aviv originally planned to launch strikes on Iran at night, but officials adjusted the plan based on the CIA intelligence, according to the Times.

The U.S. gave the information to Israel, who planned to carry out the attack on Iranian leadership, the newspaper reported.

The operation began about 6:00 a.m. in Israel (0400 GMT), and long-range missiles struck the compound about 9:40 a.m., the Times said.

Senior Iranian national security officials were in one building at the compound, and Khamenei was in a nearby building.

In addition to Khamenei, two top Iranian military leaders were killed in the bombing: the chief of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Pakpour, and another top security adviser, Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s judiciary confirmed.

Iran has since retaliated, with reported strikes across the Gulf, including in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and near regional US military bases, as the threat of a larger regional conflict grows.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has said the American military’s bombing will continue “as long as necessary.”