A conservative Iranian newspaper has published a list of foreign leaders it described as potential targets for retaliation following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in US-Israeli strikes at the start of the Middle East war on February 28.
The list, published by the Tehran-based Hamshahri newspaper, features 13 prominent figures, including US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The publication followed a statement by Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who vowed that those responsible for his father’s death would face revenge.
Although Mojtaba said Iran had compiled a list of individuals to be targeted, he did not reveal any names, and there has been no official confirmation that the newspaper’s list reflects the Iranian government’s position. Iran has accused several European countries of supporting the attacks by allowing US military aircraft to use their airspace. Reports also indicate that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the strikes that killed his father.