The recent U.S.-Israeli air campaign has struck deep into Iran's leadership, killing the country's supreme authority and numerous senior officials and commanders, according to Iranian state and other reports. The strikes have been reported across several locations - most notably Tehran, the port city of Bandar Abbas and the Pardis area - and are linked in reporting to a regional war that has unsettled energy markets and global shipping.
Overview
The attacks have affected the highest levels of Iran's political and military structures. Officials killed include the Supreme Leader, senior national security figures and top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and associated paramilitary forces. The fatalities follow strikes on specific dates in late February and in March, and have been documented by a combination of Iranian state media, other Iranian outlets and statements attributed to the Israeli military.
Who was killed
-
Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - The Supreme Leader since 1989, Khamenei was reported killed at age 86 in a U.S.-Israeli air strike on his compound on February 28. His decades in office were characterised by consolidation of power through Iran's security apparatus and by an expansion of the country's regional influence, even as tensions over its nuclear programme repeatedly brought Iran into confrontation with the West.
-
Senior officials
- Ali Larijani - Reported killed on March 17 in a U.S.-Israeli air strike in the Pardis area. He was 67. Iranian media said he died alongside his son and one of his deputies. Larijani was a former Revolutionary Guards commander and nuclear negotiator, a veteran powerbroker who served as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and was a close adviser to the slain Supreme Leader.
- Esmail Khatib - Iran's intelligence minister, described as a hardliner cleric and politician, was killed in an Israeli strike on March 18. He had worked in Ayatollah Khamenei's office, was mentored by him, and had led the civilian intelligence apparatus since August 2021.
- Ali Shamkhani - Identified as a close adviser to Khamenei and a key figure in Iran's security and nuclear policymaking, Shamkhani was reported killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28. Iranian 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 - The commander-in-chief of the IRGC, Iran's most powerful military force, was reported killed in the February 28 strikes in Tehran, according to Iranian state media. He rose to lead the Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was killed in the 12-day war in June.
- Aziz Nasirzadeh - Identified as Iran's defence minister and a career air force officer, Nasirzadeh was reported killed in the same wave of strikes targeting senior leadership in Tehran on February 28, sources said. He had a role in military planning and defence policy.
- Abdolrahim Mousavi - The chief of staff of Iran's armed forces was reported 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 - Commander of the Basij paramilitary force, Soleimani was reported killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on March 17, according to Iranian state media. A senior Revolutionary Guards officer, he led the force central to internal security and enforcement of state authority.
- Behnam Rezaei - The Revolutionary Guards' navy intelligence chief was reported killed in an Israeli strike in the port city of Bandar Abbas on March 26, according to the Israeli military, which said he was responsible for collecting information on regional countries.
- Alireza Tangsiri - The Revolutionary Guards' navy commander was reported to have died of wounds sustained after being targeted in an Israeli strike in Bandar Abbas on March 26, according to both the Israeli military and Iranian media. A native of Bushehr, he rose through the ranks to lead the IRGC Navy in 2018 and oversaw what Iran describes as the "smart control" of the Strait of Hormuz, restricting passage through the vital global oil route.
Economic and regional context
The removal of multiple senior figures at the same time has coincided with broader regional conflict that, as reporting has noted, is disrupting energy markets and global shipping. The strikes and subsequent losses within Iran's security and military leadership have taken place against a backdrop in which control of maritime routes - and particularly activities around the Strait of Hormuz - figure prominently in the officials' responsibilities and in concerns about international oil flows.
Reporting notes
The identities and circumstances described above are drawn from Iranian state media reports, other Iranian outlets and statements attributed to the Israeli military; sources cited in reporting include Iranian media and the Israeli military for specific incidents. In some cases, the reporting specifies which outlets or state media made the claims.