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Gone quiet · last update Sep 2, 2026 / Iran

The US-Iran war: Iran's leadership losses, succession and protests

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

Iran's leadership has been upended since late 2025. Nationwide protests over the economy were crushed in a crackdown that activists say killed more than 7,000 people,[1] and the US-Israeli strikes that opened the war on February 28, 2026, killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[2] His son Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded him,[3] but he missed his father's funeral in July,[4] and in August President Masoud Pezeshkian said the unseen supreme leader was "very difficult" to reach.[5] Israeli strikes also killed senior intelligence official Majid Khademi,[14] and a hard-liner has taken a top security post.[7]

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His son Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded him,[3] but he missed his father's funeral in July,[4] and in August President Masoud Pezeshkian said the unseen supreme leader was "very difficult" to reach.[5] Israeli strikes also killed senior intelligence official Majid Khademi,[14] and a hard-liner has taken a top security post.[7]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-12-29 (UTC): 17%, 29 of 166 tracked outlets (8 left, 8 center, 13 right)Week of 2026-01-05 (UTC): 23%, 45 of 198 tracked outlets (12 left, 24 center, 9 right)Week of 2026-01-12 (UTC): 32%, 61 of 191 tracked outlets (18 left, 28 center, 15 right)Week of 2026-01-19 (UTC): 3%, 5 of 170 tracked outlets (1 left, 0 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-01-26 (UTC): 10%, 18 of 189 tracked outlets (8 left, 7 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-02-02 (UTC): 2%, 3 of 177 tracked outlets (1 left, 1 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-02-09 (UTC): 3%, 6 of 180 tracked outlets (2 left, 1 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): 40%, 75 of 186 tracked outlets (13 left, 39 center, 23 right)Week of 2026-03-02 (UTC): 13%, 22 of 175 tracked outlets (5 left, 8 center, 9 right)Week of 2026-03-09 (UTC): 33%, 55 of 166 tracked outlets (14 left, 25 center, 16 right)Week of 2026-03-16 (UTC): 22%, 40 of 178 tracked outlets (9 left, 21 center, 10 right)Week of 2026-03-23 (UTC): 3%, 5 of 170 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): 2%, 3 of 154 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): 3%, 4 of 157 tracked outlets (0 left, 4 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): 5%, 10 of 185 tracked outlets (5 left, 2 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): 6%, 36 of 569 tracked outlets (7 left, 21 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 6%, 33 of 560 tracked outlets (8 left, 15 center, 10 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 537 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 2%, 10 of 545 tracked outlets (1 left, 7 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 475 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 8 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (20 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Aug 31, 20260224 of 4751%
Aug 10, 202617210 of 5452%
Aug 3, 20260044 of 5371%
Jul 6, 20268151033 of 5606%
Jun 29, 2026721836 of 5696%
May 25, 202652310 of 1855%
Apr 20, 20260404 of 1573%
Apr 6, 20260033 of 1542%
Mar 23, 20260145 of 1703%
Mar 16, 20269211040 of 17822%
Mar 9, 202614251655 of 16633%
Mar 2, 202658922 of 17513%
Feb 23, 202613392375 of 18640%
Feb 9, 20262136 of 1803%
Feb 2, 20261113 of 1772%
Jan 26, 202687318 of 18910%
Jan 19, 20261045 of 1703%
Jan 12, 202618281561 of 19132%
Jan 5, 20261224945 of 19823%
Dec 29, 2025881329 of 16617%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Sep 1, 2026 · first reported · Headline from News Nation Now

    Trump: ‘When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?’

Background

Protests broke out in Tehran and other Iranian cities in late December 2025 after Iran's currency plunged to a record low against the dollar. Merchants and shopkeepers rallied, police fired tear gas, and the central bank governor resigned.[8] The demonstrations became the largest in Iran since 2022 and spread even after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "rioters must be put in their place."[9] In January, President Donald Trump cut off high-level contacts with Tehran and told protesters that "help is on its way."[10]

Read the full background (4 more paragraphs)

Iran's judiciary signaled fast trials and executions for those detained, who numbered more than 18,100.[11] Iranian state TV gave an official death toll of 3,117, which activists said could be many times too low,[12] and by mid-February activists counted at least 7,002 people killed in the crackdown.[1]

US and Israeli strikes at the end of February 2026 killed Khamenei.[2] Iran named his son Mojtaba Khamenei as the next supreme leader.[3] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new leader had been wounded and was "likely disfigured," and contemporaneous reporting said he had not appeared publicly since the war began. An Iranian official, however, told Reuters he was lightly injured and continuing to work.[13] In March, Israel said its strikes had killed security chief Ali Larijani,[6] and in April an Israeli strike killed Majid Khademi, head of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence organization.[14]

The war also brought an extended internet shutdown. Authorities justified it as a military necessity after the US-Israeli attacks. Iranians began regaining access in May, but users reported slow, patchy service and continuing restrictions on major apps.[15]

In July, hundreds of thousands of mourners joined a dayslong funeral in Tehran for Ali Khamenei, calling for revenge against Israel and the United States.[16] He was buried after six days of ceremonies that his son did not attend.[4] In August, Pezeshkian said communicating with the supreme leader was "very difficult,"[5] and Iran appointed Mohsen Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guards chief and close ally of Mojtaba Khamenei, as secretary of its Supreme National Security Council, the second since Larijani was killed.[7]

Supporting stories (16)
  1. Deaths in Iran’s crackdown on protests reach at least 7,000, activists say
  2. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, is dead, Trump says
  3. Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father as supreme leader
  4. Iran’s supreme leader missed his father’s momentous funeral – now what?
  5. Iran president says contact with supreme leader is 'very difficult'
  6. Iran Confirms Killing of Security Chief Ali Larijani in Israeli Strike
  7. Mohsen Rezaei appointed as secretary of Iran's top security body
  8. Protests erupt in Iran as currency hits record low
  9. At least 35 people have been killed and 1,200 detained in Iran’s economic protests - Boston News, Weather, Sports
  10. Trump Cancels Meetings With Iranian Officials and Tells Protesters ‘Help Is on Its Way'
  11. Iran signals fast trials and executions for protesters as death toll in crackdown goes over 2,500
  12. Iran says 3,117 killed in protests, activists fear 'far higher' toll
  13. Iran’s new supreme leader is wounded and ‘likely disfigured,’ Hegseth says
  14. Iran war: Top intelligence chief killed in Israeli strike
  15. Iranians are back online after a monthslong shutdown but face heavy restrictions
  16. Iran begins dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in war

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 54 recorded updates

September 2026

  1. Trump: 'When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?'Headline from The Hill · 4 outlets

August 2026

  1. Iran’s supreme leader elevates military veterans willing to confront the USHeadline from KION Central Coast · 7 outlets
  2. Mohsen Rezaei appointed as secretary of Iran's top security bodyHeadline from Al-Monitor · 6 outlets
  3. Iran president says contact with supreme leader is 'very difficult'Headline from France 24 · 5 outlets

July 2026

  1. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been laid to rest months after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes killed himHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 5 outlets
  2. Iran’s supreme leader missed his father’s momentous funeral – now what?Headline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 9 outlets
  3. Iraq's holy cities to host funeral processions for KhameneiHeadline from Al-Monitor · 7 outlets
  4. Funeral prayers in Iraq for Iranian supreme leader commence after body arrives in holy cityHeadline from Daily Journal · 7 outlets
  5. Iran: Anti-US anger dominates Khamenei funeral ceremoniesHeadline from France 24 · 12 outlets
  6. Iran says millions are mourning Khamenei. That’s not the full pictureHeadline from KESQ Palm Springs · 9 outlets
  7. Funeral processions held in holy Iraqi cities for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiHeadline from WFMZ Allentown · 6 outlets
  8. Iran to bury slain Supreme Leader in culmination of mass funeralHeadline from Al-Monitor · 9 outlets
  9. Iran prepares for dayslong funeral for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in warHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 3 outlets
  10. Iran sends a defiant message to Trump with colossal funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ali KhameneiHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 5 outlets
  11. Powerful general in Iran emerges from hiding as Tehran prepares for Khamenei's dayslong funeralHeadline from Jonesboro Sun · 8 outlets
  12. Iran: Dignitaries arrive for Ayatollah Khamenei's funeralHeadline from Deutsche Welle · 19 outlets
  13. Iran begins dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in warHeadline from Green Field Reporter · 30 outlets
  14. Iran warns US, Israel against attacks ahead of funeral processions for KhameneiHeadline from Al-Monitor · 6 outlets

May 2026

  1. Iranians are back online after a monthslong shutdown but face heavy restrictionsHeadline from Wyoming Public Media · 13 outlets

April 2026

  1. Trump claims Iran’s regime is fractured. The reality is more complicated.Headline from Local News 8 · 6 outlets
  2. Iran war: Top intelligence chief killed in Israeli strikeHeadline from Deutsche Welle · 4 outlets

March 2026

  1. Iranian naval commander Alireza Tangsiri killed in attack, Israel saysHeadline from Al Jazeera · 6 outlets
  2. Iran Confirms Killing of Security Chief Ali Larijani in Israeli StrikeHeadline from Oil Price · 44 outlets
  3. Iran's new leader threatens US In his first messageHeadline from Newsweek · 9 outlets
  4. Iran’s new supreme leader is wounded and ‘likely disfigured,’ Hegseth saysHeadline from New York Post · 10 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →