Mahmoud Ahmadinejad killed in strikes on Tehran, state media says amid conflicting messages
mahmoud ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, was said to have been killed when Narmak in eastern Tehran was struck multiple times during the first day of attacks that also reportedly killed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reported death and conflicting messages
Iranian state media said the 69-year-old was killed in Narmak, eastern Tehran, as part of US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Some Iranian Telegram channels later posted a statement attributed to Ahmadinejad in which he hit out at US and Israeli "aggression, " a message that suggested he might still be alive. The conflicting reports could not be independently verified because of Iran’s near-total internet blackout, and state media did not change its initial report about Ahmadinejad’s death.
Wider sequence of attacks and immediate retaliation
Air strikes on Iran continued on Sunday, while Tehran fired missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf states in retaliation. Hotels and a French naval base were among the targets struck in Abu Dhabi, and a high-tech radar station in Bahrain was also hit. At least 66 missiles were fired at Qatar, where the US has its largest base, and falling shrapnel injured 16 people.
Civilian toll and national impact
Iranian authorities said up to 201 people were killed and 747 were injured across 24 Iranian provinces on Saturday. The strikes and counterstrikes have produced widespread damage across multiple Gulf states and Iran, and the near-total internet blackout inside Iran hampered outside verification of events and casualties.
Ahmadinejad’s record and recent stance
Ahmadinejad oversaw two turbulent terms between 2005 and 2013, a period that saw Iran crippled by Western sanctions. He presided over the brutal suppression of the 2009 Green Movement protests and led Iran into a stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme, dismissing US sanctions as "worthless papers. " After leaving office, he increasingly positioned himself as a critic of the system he once championed, questioning corruption, calling for political prisoners' release and challenging the legitimacy of Iran's power structure.
Market and global reactions noted in coverage
After the US and Israel struck Iran with a series of air strikes on Saturday, triggering immediate retaliation, commentators warned oil prices could jump by $10 to $20 or more. One quoted remark in the immediate aftermath said, "You're gonna be finding out over the next, probably, 10 days, " the president said on Thursday. Wall Street was described as reacting to the joint attacks, with oil and currencies showing notable movement.
