Análisis de Stephen Collinson, CNN

El presidente Donald Trump hizo una gran apuesta al lanzar un ataque aéreo masivo contra Irán, a pesar de haber hecho poco para preparar a los estadounidenses para una nueva guerra en Medio Oriente con enormes riesgos y años de consecuencias futuras.

Pero la muerte del líder supremo de Irán, el ayatola Alí Jamenei, abre un escenario en el que el brutal régimen islamista de Teherán sería derrocado, poniendo fin a décadas de represión que provocaron la muerte de miles de civiles en las calles en diciembre y enero.

“Esta es la mayor oportunidad para que el pueblo iraní recupere su país”, escribió Trump en Truth Social después de respaldar informes israelíes previos que afirmaban que Jamenei, a quien describió como “una de las personas más malvadas de la historia”, murió en un ataque aéreo.

La caída de Jamenei —sucesor del ayatola Ruhollah Jomeini, instigador de la revolución iraní de 1979— sería un evento político trascendental en la historia iraní.
Amenazaría el control del poder de los islamistas de línea dura que convirtieron a Irán en una despiadada dictadura teocrática.

También añade urgencia a una de las preguntas más críticas planteadas por el ataque de Trump: ¿la remoción de los principales líderes desencadenaría una ola de reformas institucionales, o provocaría fuerzas políticas incontrolables que profundizarían la represión y destrozarían el país?

Trump declaró a la NBC que los ataques habían “causado un daño tremendo”.

“En algún momento me llamarán para preguntarme a quién quiero (como líder)”, dijo Trump. Y añadió: “Solo estoy siendo un poco sarcástico al decir eso”.

Nadie necesita que le recuerden las peligrosas posibilidades de las guerras extranjeras que comienzan con violencia que genera conmoción y terror, pero pueden desmoronarse de forma desastroza. Muchos verán el ataque impulsivo de Trump como un error imperial imprudente. Sus críticos en el Congreso ya están criticando lo que consideran una guerra unilateral, ilegal e inconstitucional que se burla de la democracia.

Los contraataques iraníes contra aliados de Estados Unidos en Bahrein y Qatar —y la imagen de un dron iraní estrellándose contra un hotel de lujo en una zona turística de Dubai— subrayaron el potencial de que su apuesta se salga de control.

Pero, aunque Medio Oriente suele destruir las ideas preconcebidas de los extranjeros, es posible que la historia finalmente recuerde a Trump como el salvador de los iraníes.

El ataque conjunto entre Estados Unidos e Israel, lanzado desde Israel y una vasta armada naval estadounidense la madrugada de este sábado, es el giro más significativo en un amargo enfrentamiento de 47 años con el régimen clerical islámico. Parece poner fin a la búsqueda diplomática de Trump de un acuerdo con Irán que ahora parece una artimaña mientras se reunía una temible fuerza estadounidense.

Los breves argumentos públicos de Trump antes de los ataques fueron incompletos y contradictorios. Insistió, por ejemplo, en que ya había “aniquilado” las instalaciones nucleares de Irán, las cuales formaban una justificación clave para el ataque de este sábado.

Sus afirmaciones de que el programa nuclear y los misiles de largo alcance representaban un riesgo inmediato para Estados Unidos son exageradas y contradicen las evaluaciones de inteligencia estadounidense reportadas por CNN. El presidente incluso pareció admitir públicamente que las amenazas no eran tan inminentes como para justificar una acción inmediata de Estados Unidos. “No lo hacemos por ahora. Lo hacemos por el futuro”, dijo Trump en un video difundido desde su resort Mar-a-Lago en Florida la madrugada de este sábado.

By Laura Sharman, CNN

(CNN) — Passengers rushed to evacuate one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday after a reported Iranian strike, as Tehran hit out at travel hubs in US-friendly Gulf states.

Dramatic footage shows people fleeing a smoke-filled passageway at Dubai International Airport, where officials confirmed four staff had been injured.

Airport officials did not say what sparked the evacuation. But aviation sources told the Reuters news agency that an overnight Iranian attack damaged one of the terminals at the airport.

Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East. Its airport is one of the world’s busiest, serving as a home base for Emirates, a leading international airline.

UAE airports have established themselves as key nodes for connecting flights all over the world. Last year, Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s hubs handled a combined 127.7 million passengers, according to official figures.

Other Gulf states including Qatar and Bahrain also came under attack, piercing the kingdoms’ polished image as luxurious havens in an unstable region.

The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, which all host US military bases, were targeted by Iran in retaliation to the US and Israeli strikes that have battered the Islamic Republic starting Saturday, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

At Dubai airport, a concourse sustained “minor damage” and emergency response teams were “immediately deployed” in Sunday’s evacuation, Dubai Airport told CNN.

“Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention.”

Eyewitnesses told CNN that ambulances rushed toward the airport following the emergency.

Dubai Airports confirmed that all flights in and out of the city’s two main airports have been suspended until further notice.

“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time and to contact their respective airlines directly for the latest updates regarding their flights,” the Dubai Media Office said.

In Dubai’s ritzy Palm Jumeirah district – a global symbol of the emirate’s opulence and serenity – an explosion hit the Fairmont Hotel, leaving it in flames, shortly after videos verified by CNN showed the moment a drone appeared to dive toward the ground.

Elsewhere in the UAE, a drone strike at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport – another key international gateway – killed one person and injured seven, the airport said in a statement on social media.

In Qatar, missiles were intercepted over the capital Doha, while officials at Bahrain International Airport said a drone strike has damaged the facility.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said the strike resulted in “material damage without loss of life,” adding that authorities were securing the site.

Videos geolocated and verified by CNN show a large fire at a residential high-rise building in Bahrain’s capital Manama.

A wide corridor of airspace over the Middle East was closed this weekend.

Airlines suspended flights across the region on Saturday, including to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and flight-tracking maps showed its airspace virtually empty.

Many airports were closed on Saturday including most terminals at Dubai International.

Airlines internationally announced canceled and disrupted flights to the Middle East on Saturday.

Lufthansa confirmed cancellations of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, citing the safety of passengers and crew members.

British Airways said it was cancelling flights to and from Tel Aviv and Bahrain for several days. It also said its flight on Saturday to Amman, Jordan, has been grounded.

Virgin Atlantic announced it had canceled its flight from London Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday, as “a precautionary measure.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cabl

By Abbas Al Lawati, CNN

(CNN) — Iran’s clerical regime now faces the prospect of trying to find a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his killing in joint US-Israeli strikes.

The veteran leader, who ruled with an iron fist for nearly four decades, does not have an officially declared heir. Instead, an elected body of 88 senior clerics, known as the Assembly of Experts, will select the next leader.

It’s a task that has only been carried out by the clerical body once since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, when Khamenei was hastily chosen on the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini more than three decades ago.

The ruling establishment will want to move quickly to show stability in the republic, with members of the assembly expected to convene soon to deliberate over possible candidates before naming Khamenei’s replacement.

But it is unclear whether they can even risk any gathering given US President Donald Trump has vowed that the joint US-Israeli bombing campaign targeting the regime will continue in the days ahead.

The jurists would need to choose a successor that meets the qualifications stipulated in the constitution. The new leader must be male, a cleric with political competence, moral authority, and loyalty to the Islamic Republic. The assembly may interpret the rules to exclude reformist clerics who favor greater social freedoms and engagement with the outside world.

CNN takes a look at some of the contenders for the position, according to experts and analysts.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56

The second son of Khamenei, Mojtaba is known to wield significant influence behind the scenes and has strong links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful military body in the country, as well as its Basij volunteer paramilitary force.

But father-to-son succession is frowned upon in the Shiite Muslim clerical establishment and particularly in a revolutionary Iran that came about after toppling a widely reviled monarchy. An additional hurdle is that Mojtaba is not a high-ranking cleric and has no official role in the regime. He was sanctioned by the US in 2019.

Alireza Arafi, 67

A lesser-known figure, Arafi is an established cleric with a track record in government institutions who is also a confidant of Khamenei.

He currently serves as deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts and has been a member of the powerful Guardian Council, which vets election candidates and laws passed by parliament. He is also head of Iran’s seminary system.

According to Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute, Khamenei’s willingness to appoint Arafi to senior and strategically sensitive positions “show that he has a great deal of confidence in his bureaucratic abilities.” Still, Arafi isn’t known to be a political heavyweight and doesn’t have close ties to the security establishment.

He is said to be fluent in Arabic and English, tech savvy and has published 24 books and articles, Vatanka wrote.

Mohammad Mehdi Mirbagheri, early 60s

Mirbagheri is a hardline cleric and a member of the Assembly of Experts who represents the most conservative wing of the clerical establishment.

He was recently reported to have justified the high death toll in Israel’s war in Gaza by saying that the death of even half the world’s population is “worth it” if it achieves closeness to God.

Read more

Por CNN Editorial Research

El ayatola Seyyed Alí Jamenei, líder supremo de Irán que gobernó el país durante casi cuatro décadas, murió el sábado 28 de febrero, confirmaron múltiples medios estatales iraníes.

“El líder supremo de Irán ha alcanzado el martirio”, informó el canal estatal IRIB la mañana del domingo.

Anteriormente, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, y dos fuentes israelíes, aseguraron que Jamenei falleció en los ataques.

Aquí un vistazo a sus datos más relevantes.

Fecha de nacimiento: 17 de julio de 1939

Fecha de fallecimiento: 28 de febrero de 2026

• Lugar de nacimiento: Mashhad, Irán
• Nombre de nacimiento: Seyyed Alí Jamenei
• Padre: ayatola Sayyid Jawad Husaini Jamenei
• Madre: Nombre no disponible públicamente
• Matrimonio: Casado en 1964
• Hijos: Mostafa, Mojtaba, Massoud, Maysam, Hoda y Boshra
• Educación: Estudió con el futuro ayatola Jomeini en el seminario islámico de Qom, Irán.
• Religión: islámica, musulmana chiíta

Jamenei también era conocido como el líder supremo.

1962 – Junto con Jomeini, comienza su participación en las protestas, oponiéndose a las políticas del Sha de Irán, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

1977 – Junto con otros clérigos, forma la Asociación de Clérigos Combatientes, que se convierte en el Partido de la República Islámica.

1980-1987 – Secretario general y miembro del mando central del Partido de la República Islámica.

Junio ​​de 1981- Resulta herido al explotar una bomba colocada en una grabadora durante una conferencia de prensa.

13 de octubre de 1981-3 de agosto de 1989- Presidente de Irán.

Marzo de 1985- Sobrevive cuando una bomba suicida detona cerca.

4 de junio de 1989 hasta la actualidad- Es elegido provisionalmente líder supremo de la República Islámica de Irán tras la muerte de Jomeini.

28 de julio de 1989- Un referéndum oficializa su elección y un grupo de líderes religiosos confirma más tarde su elección como líder supremo.

Mayo de 2011- Jamenei se ve envuelto en una lucha por el poder público con el presidente iraní Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Febrero de 2012- emite una declaración de que Irán respaldará a cualquier nación o grupo que luche contra Israel.

Marzo de 2012- Reacciona a las tensiones relacionadas con el programa nuclear de Irán y acoge con agrado el comentario del presidente estadounidense, Barack Obama, de que “lo mejor para Estados Unidos, Israel y el mundo” es resolver pacíficamente la crisis nuclear de Irán.

Marzo de 2012- Los aliados de Jamenei obtienen alrededor del 75 % de los escaños en las elecciones parlamentarias contra el movimiento de oposición rival de Ahmadinejad.

21 de marzo de 2013 – Jamenei, en un discurso televisado, amenaza a Tel Aviv y Haifa afirmando que “a veces los funcionarios del régimen sionista (Israel) amenazan con lanzar una invasión militar, pero ellos mismos saben que si cometen el más mínimo error, los musulmanes La República arrasará Tel Aviv y Haifa”.

Enero de 2015- Jamenei publica una carta abierta en su sitio web, dirigida a los jóvenes occidentales, pidiéndoles que no juzguen al Islam basándose en

By Abbas Al Lawati, Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

(CNN) — Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who ruled Iran with an iron fist as its supreme leader for nearly four decades, facing off against the US and Israel while crushing dissent and advancing a controversial nuclear program at home, has been killed, a seismic development that plunges his nation and the region into uncharted territory.

Multiple Iranian state media outlets confirmed Khamenei’s death on Sunday morning, hours after US and Israeli officials declared he had been killed in their joint strikes targeting his regime.

One of the Middle East’s most powerful men, Khamenei dominated Iran during a reign defined by resistance and resilience — standing firm against decades of Western and Israeli pressure aimed at forcing the Islamic Republic to bend to their will. Under his leadership, Iran expanded its influence far beyond its borders, earning a reputation as a formidable and dangerous regional power to be reckoned with.

But his death comes at a time when Iran is arguably at its weakest since he took power in 1989. Decades of Western sanctions had already left the country isolated and economically battered before American and Israeli strikes in June 2025 dealt his rule a severe blow.

New attacks launched on February 28 specifically targeted Khamenei and other top leaders, devastating his residence and offices in Tehran.

“The Supreme Leader of Iran Has Reached Martyrdom,” state broadcaster IRIB reported Sunday morning.

The latest US-Israeli strikes followed the crushing of Iranian anti-government protests that began in late December over economic grievances but quickly turned political, spreading across all 31 of the country’s provinces within weeks. The regime responded with a brutal crackdown, killing thousands of protesters and prompting a global outcry and a threat of intervention from US President Donald Trump.

That intervention came on Saturday, when Trump said the US military was undertaking a “massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests.”

He also called on the Iranian people to “take over your government,” adding that they now “have a president who is giving you what you want, so let’s see how you respond.”

In the final years of Khamenei’s stubborn rule, the country grew increasingly isolated, plagued by corruption and sinking deeper into economic turmoil, with dwindling prospects for a swelling youth population and shrinking middle class.

‘Axis of resistance’

Khamenei’s supporters argue that he was pushed against the wall for pursuing a foreign policy that defied the United States and Israel, and that his death was the ultimate price he paid for that stance.

Under Khamenei’s leadership, Iran advanced a controversial nuclear program that became the defining fault line between the Islamic Republic and the West, and which he used as a bargaining chip to gain leverage over adversaries.

He ruled a nation of 90 million people with a 2,500-year-old civilization, maintaining an iron grip as he consolidated powe.

Though surrounded by enemies, Khamenei long kept them at bay. After he became his country’s top political and religious authority following the death of the previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq war, Iran avoided major direct attacks from its adversaries for more than three decades — even as other regional foes of the United States and Israel fell one by one. The regime entrenched itself with the formation of the “Axis of Resistance,” a loose network of allied groups spread throughout the region that allowed Tehran to project power at its enemies’ doorstep.

But all that — along with the aura of fear and intimidation that Khamenei carefully cultivated — beg