It is the 19th day of the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28. As a result of the attacks, the country's political and military leadership has suffered a severe blow. Some of Iran's highest-ranking figures have been killed, creating serious gaps in Iran's governance system.
Modern.az has investigated the Iranian officials killed to date.
Undoubtedly, the most notable event was the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, who had led the country since 1989, lost his life at the age of 86 as a result of a US-Israeli airstrike on his residence in Tehran on February 28. During his long tenure, strengthening security structures and expanding Iran's influence in the region were among the main priorities.
As a result of the strikes, other important representatives of Iran's security and political elite were also killed. Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and an influential political figure, died along with his son and a close associate during an attack carried out in the Pardis region on March 17. He was known both as a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander and as one of the key figures involved in nuclear negotiations.
Iran's Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, was killed on March 18 as a result of a strike carried out by Israel. Khatib, known as a cleric and a hardliner, had served in Khamenei's inner circle for many years.
We present the list of high-ranking officials killed:
Ali Khamenei – Supreme Leader of Iran;
Ali Shamkhani – Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council;
Mohammad Pakpour – Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General;
Abdolrahim Mousavi – Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General;
Aziz Nasirzadeh – Minister of Defense, Brigadier General;
Majid Ibn Reza – Minister of Defense (Nasirzadeh's successor), Brigadier General;
Mohammad Shirazi – Head of the Supreme Leader's Military Office, Brigadier General;
Hossein Jabal Amelian – Head of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), Brigadier General;
Reza Mozaffari Nia – Former Head of SPND, Brigadier General;
Mohsen Darrabaghi – Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Brigadier General;
Gholamreza Rezaian – Head of the Police Intelligence Organization, Brigadier General;
Bahram Hosseini Motlagh – Head of Operational Planning at the General Staff, Brigadier General;
Mohammad Baseri – High-ranking official of the Ministry of Intelligence;
Saleh Asadi – Head of Intelligence of the 'Khatam al-Anbiya' Headquarters;
Gholamreza Soleimani – Commander of the 'Basij' forces, Brigadier General;
Ali Larijani – Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council;
Esmail Khatib – Iran's Intelligence Minister;
Losses of this magnitude create serious gaps in both Iran's political leadership and its military chain of command. Analysts believe that the simultaneous elimination of key figures, particularly the Supreme Leader and the security bloc, will alter the balance of power in the country and further escalate tensions in the region.
