Iran has begun a week-long state funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who served as supreme leader from 1989 until February 2026. Mojtaba Khamenei is reported as the current supreme leader and is absent from the ceremonies due to injury. Claims that Khamenei and family members were killed in US-Israeli airstrikes originate solely from RT.
“Iran’s leader was killed in February. The country will finally bury him. - The Washington Post”
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The killing represents extrajudicial action that destabilized the Middle East and fueled grief, with the funeral underscoring foreign intervention’s effects on domestic solidarity.
“Human and diplomatic costs of airstrikes bypassing international law”
Khamenei’s death ends a 37-year reign of hostility and support for proxies, achieved through decisive targeted action after decades of containment.
“Security benefits of removing an entrenched threat”
The events highlight violence and concentrated power in theocratic systems, with external strikes violating non-aggression principles.
“Absence of consent-based governance and rejection of interstate aggression”
All views accept the unverified RT premise of US-Israeli airstrikes without independent corroboration, risking groupthink on a potential disinformation narrative.
“Lack of scrutiny on sourcing, verification failures, and regime optics”
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