Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader for 36 years, died on Sunday, March 1, 2026, following a 12-day aerial offensive by the United States and Israel that struck targets in Tehran. Khamenei, born in April 1939, rose from a boy cleric to a powerful figure who expanded Iran's military influence across the Middle East, supporting groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. His rule was marked by opposition to the US and Israel, and he authorized crackdowns on internal protests, including those following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, which led to an estimated 20,000 deaths. The strikes occurred amid ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, a deal Khamenei had previously supported in 2015 but which the US withdrew from in 2018. His successor faces the challenges of managing the nuclear program and calming domestic unrest.