Iranian state media has published a photograph of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, captured just moments before his assassination in a US-Israel airstrike. The image, reportedly taken from CCTV footage at his office in Tehran, shows Khamenei engaged in reciting the Holy Quran.
In a significant development, Tehran released this final picture of the Islamic Revolution leader at his office in the capital, taken shortly before his martyrdom on February 28, 2026. The attack was part of a large-scale airstrike targeting Iran by the United States and Israel.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who passed away at the age of 86, served as Iran’s Supreme Leader for over 36 years and six months, making him the longest-serving head of state in West Asia at the time of his death. Prior to this role, he was the country’s third president from 1981 to 1989.
Notably, Khamenei had previously survived an assassination attempt by the Mujahedin-e Khalq. On June 27, 1981, a bomb hidden inside a tape recorder detonated near him after he had returned from the frontline and was delivering a lecture at the Aboozar Mosque following Saturday prayers. Worshippers had submitted questions on paper, which he addressed during the session.
