New Delhi, March 1 -- Uncertainty surrounding the fate of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei intensified on Saturday after President Donald Trump declared that the cleric had been killed in a joint United States-Israeli military operation, while Iranian officials and state-linked media forcefully rejected the claim, describing it as psychological warfare.

The competing narratives - one asserting a decisive assassination and the other insisting the leader remains actively directing operations - have created a rare moment of informational ambiguity at the apex of Iran's political system, raising questions about succession, regional escalation and the stability of the Islamic Republic.

Trump said Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamen...