Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials were killed in strikes carried out by the US and Israel on Saturday.
The Iranian state-run news agency IRNA confirmed the death of the 86-year-old Khamenei. The supreme leader's daughter, son-in-law, and grandson also died in the coordinated US-Israeli attack.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called Khamenei's killing an "open declaration of war against Muslims," particularly Shia practitioners.
IRNA also confirmed the deaths of several other senior figures:
- Ali Shamkhani – Secretary of Iran's Defence Council and a close adviser to the supreme leader. The 70-year-old oversaw US-Iran negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. He survived an Israeli strike in June 2025.
- Abdolrahim Mousavi – Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces. He previously served as commander-in-chief of the Iranian army (2017-2025). Mousavi was a key figure in developing Iran's ballistic missiles, drone systems, and space launches.
- Aziz Nasirzadeh – Iran's Defence Minister. He was previously deputy chief of staff of the armed forces and commander of the air force (2018-2021). Nasirzadeh played a crucial role in safeguarding Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure.
- Hossein Pakpour – Commander-in-Chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since June 2025. Pakpour commanded IRGC armored units and a combat division during the 1980s war with Iraq.
Source: www.aljazeera.com