Iranian State TV Announces Death Of Khamenei’s Wife After US Israeli Airstrike
Iranian state media confirmed Monday that Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, 79, the wife of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has died from injuries sustained in the same U.S.-Israeli airstrike that killed her husband at his Tehran compound. She passed two days after Khamenei’s death, according to The Wall Street Journal. State television described her passing as the fulfillment of a “long dream of martyrdom” and claimed it would trigger “a massive uprising in the fight against oppressors.”
Iran has declared an official 40-day mourning period and a seven-day national holiday, with earlier broadcasts tearfully confirming Khamenei’s death. Bagherzadeh, married to the Supreme Leader since 1965, had four sons and two daughters, according to the Daily Mail. In a 2011 interview, she described her role as maintaining a calm household so Khamenei could focus on his work, visiting him in prison only to deliver good news, and discreetly aiding revolutionary efforts.
Her death comes amid an intensifying military conflict between Iran and U.S.-Israeli forces. The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported at least 555 fatalities across the country, with more than 130 cities affected. Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, condemned the strikes as “unlawful, criminal and brutal,” claiming the Natanz nuclear site was targeted and denying any Iranian intent to develop nuclear weapons.
Senior Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, vowed no negotiations with the United States, while Iran reportedly launched retaliatory attacks across the region. These included a strike near the American embassy in Kuwait City (with no casualties), a misfire by Kuwaiti air defenses that downed three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles (all six aircrew recovered safely), and attacks by pro-Iranian militias targeting Irbil and a British base in Cyprus. In the Gulf of Oman, a drone boat struck an oil tanker near Muscat, killing one mariner, and Saudi Aramco temporarily suspended operations at its Ras Tanura refinery after Iranian drone strikes. Meanwhile, at least 11 people were killed in Israel and 31 in Lebanon during ongoing exchanges.
For the first time, Iran’s combat fleet has participated directly in the conflict, and officials have framed Bagherzadeh’s death as martyrdom amid the country’s prolonged mourning.
Despite the escalating conflict, a senior White House official confirmed Sunday that Iran’s “new potential leadership” has signaled a willingness to engage in talks with the United States. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said President Donald J. Trump is “eventually” open to negotiations but is keeping military operations ongoing.
Trump told The Atlantic that he intends to speak with Iran’s emerging leaders, stating, “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” without specifying timing.
The deaths of Khamenei and Bagherzadeh mark a dramatic shift in Iran’s leadership, even as military exchanges continue across the Middle East, heightening regional tensions and underscoring the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy.