The first reports appeared on foreign screens, beyond the reach of most Iranians. On 28 February Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were "signs that the tyrant is no more," suggesting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in a joint US-Israeli strike. Iranians watching state television, however, encountered silence. Government officials would neither confirm nor deny Khamenei's death. On one of the state broadcaster's channels, IRTV3, one news presenter urged viewers to "trust" him and the "latest information" the government had. He dismissed news of Khamenei's death as "baseless rumours", which would "soon be revealed." It took until the following morning before Iranian state media reported the death of Khamenei, hours after US President Trump publicly announced it on social media.…