Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated sharply following a joint aerial strike by U.S. and Israeli forces on Tehran. The attack targeted the office complex of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While Khamenei was reportedly killed instantly, his wife, Mansoureh Khojaste Bagherzadeh, sustained critical injuries and later died on March 2 while receiving treatment in a coma, according to Iranian state media. Reports also indicate that another daughter and a grandson were killed in the attack.
Mansoureh Khojaste Bagherzadeh was born in 1947 in Mashhad, Iran, into a prominent business family. She married Ali Khamenei in 1964 at the age of 17, during the early days of his involvement in the Islamic revolutionary movement. The couple had four sons—Mostafa, Mojtaba, Masoud, and Meysam—and two daughters, Bashra and Huda. While Mojtaba Khamenei is politically active, the rest of the children have largely remained out of public life.
Throughout her life, Mansoureh Khojaste Bagherzadeh maintained a private and discreet role, rarely participating in politics or public affairs. Even after the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution, she remained behind the scenes, supporting her husband’s work. In a rare 1993 interview, she described her primary responsibility as maintaining a peaceful home environment to allow Khamenei to focus on his political and religious duties.
The February 28 strike underscores the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, marking one of the deadliest attacks on the Iranian leadership in recent history. Analysts warn that the deaths of Khamenei and several family members could have significant political and security implications for Iran, further destabilizing the already volatile region.