In an interview with NBC News, US President Donald Trump said the US believes the reports that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in airstrikes today are accurate. " We believe it's true ," Trump was quoted as saying.
He added that "most" of Iran's top leaders have "disappeared," saying: "The people who make all the decisions, most of them have disappeared. I'm not talking about two people ," the president added, without specifying an exact number.
Asked who would replace Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, Trump said: " I don't know, but at some point they're going to call me and ask me who I would like. I'm just being a little sarcastic when I say that."
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the Ayatollah had died, despite Iranian denials.
Trump said the military strikes on Iran were "already a success." " We've done tremendous damage. It's going to take years to rebuild ," the president added, stressing that the strikes were major and seriously weakened Iran's capabilities after coordinated attacks with Israel.