STORY UPDATED: check for updates below.
Were there any official reports about former National Security Advisor John Bolton dying in the wake of airstrikes on Iran late February 2026? No, that's not true: The claim was only made in a likely satirical social media post. There were no news reports about his passing and no mention of it on the site of his PAC or on his own social media account and his assistant confirmed to Lead Stories he was "alive and well".
The claim appeared in a post on X (archived here) where it was published on February 28, 2026 in a post that read:
RIP John Bolton
He passed away a few hours ago from lack of blood flow to his extremities (except one).
He died doing what he loved. Seeing Iran on fire.
This is the image that was used in the post:
(Image source: X.com post by @OAlexanderDK)
A search of Google News for "John Bolton" did not bring up any news stories about him passing away (archived here).
Bolton's own X account did not make any mention of it either (archived here).
There was nothing about his supposed death on the news (archived here) or press releases (archived here) sections of his PAC's website either.
Lead Stories reached out to Bolton's office via email and received a reply from his assistant saying he was "alive and well".
Updates:
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2026-02-28T12:14:39Z 2026-02-28T12:14:39Z Added statement from Bolton's assistant.
