U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have removed a string of senior figures from the Islamic Republic’s political and military hierarchies, including the country’s long-time Supreme Leader. The attacks, which have targeted Tehran and other locations, have killed top officials and commanders who were central to Iran’s security, intelligence and defence apparatus. The campaign of strikes has coincided with disturbances in energy markets and global shipping routes.
Summary of key losses
- Supreme Leader - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who served as Supreme Leader since 1989, was killed aged 86 in a U.S.-Israeli air strike on his compound on February 28.
- Senior political and intelligence officials - Included Ali Larijani, Esmail Khatib and Ali Shamkhani, killed in strikes on March 17, March 18 and February 28 respectively.
- Top military commanders - Several senior Revolutionary Guards and defence leaders were killed, including the IRGC commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour, defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, and navy intelligence chief Behnam Rezaei.
Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader since 1989 and who consolidated authority through Iran’s security structures while shaping the country’s posture toward the U.S. and Israel, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on his compound on February 28. He was 86 years old at the time of his death.
Senior officials
- Ali Larijani - Killed on March 17 in an air strike in the Pardis area, Larijani was 67. Iranian media reported he was killed along with his son and one of his deputies. A veteran powerbroker, Larijani served as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was a former Revolutionary Guards commander and a nuclear negotiator, and was a close adviser to the slain Supreme Leader with an important role in shaping Iran’s security and foreign policy.
- Esmail Khatib - Iran’s intelligence minister, Khatib was killed in an Israeli strike on March 18. Described as a hardliner cleric and politician, he had worked in Ayatollah Khamenei’s office, was mentored by him, and had headed the civilian intelligence apparatus since August 2021.
- Ali Shamkhani - A close adviser to Khamenei and a prominent participant in Iran’s security and nuclear policymaking, Shamkhani was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28. Reports note he had earlier survived an attack on his home during the 12-day June war between Israel and Iran.
Top military commanders
- Mohammad Pakpour - Identified by Iranian state media as the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Pakpour was killed in the February 28 strikes in Tehran. He had risen to lead the Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was killed in the 12-day war in June.
- Aziz Nasirzadeh - Killed in the same wave of February 28 strikes targeting senior leadership in Tehran, Nasirzadeh was Iran’s defence minister and a career air force officer who played a central role in military planning and defence policy.
- Abdolrahim Mousavi - Mousavi, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was killed in the February 28 strikes during what Iranian media described as a meeting of senior leadership in Tehran. He was responsible for coordinating Iran’s military branches and overseeing conventional forces.
- Gholamreza Soleimani - The commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, Soleimani was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on March 17, according to Iranian state media. He was a senior Revolutionary Guards officer charged with leading the force central to internal security and enforcement of state authority.
- Behnam Rezaei - Killed in an Israeli strike in the port city of Bandar Abbas on March 26, Rezaei served as the Revolutionary Guards’ navy intelligence chief. The Israeli military stated he was responsible for collecting information on regional countries.
The sequence of targeted strikes has removed multiple figures at the heart of Iran’s civilian and military leadership. The losses span the Supreme Leader’s inner circle, national security and intelligence leadership, and senior commanders within the Revolutionary Guards and conventional armed forces. Observers have connected the strikes with disruptions to energy markets and global shipping, as noted in accounts of the regional conflict.