US-Israel-Iran at War. Ayatollah is dead. Market is dead?
Victor Chen
The News
In the late hours local time of February 28th, 2026, Israel launched strikes against Iran setting off conflict in the gulf once again, under a joint operation with the US dubbed Operation Epic Fury. Reports started coming out by early morning that Israeli strikes had killed the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The White House and US President Donald Trump confirmed the news a few hours later, releasing statements that told the world the Ayatollah was dead. While there was still speculation and conspiracies floating around in the following hours, with Polymarket betting around a 97% chance of the Ayatollah being dead before the next day (effectively betting on if the news is true or a hoax), as the sun rose onto the nation, Iranian news media made it clear, the Supreme Leader has been Martyred.
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