By Jana Choukeir
DUBAI, March 18 (Reuters) – U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed several senior political and military figures, hitting the Islamic Republic’s core leadership as the regional war disrupts energy markets and global shipping.
Below are some of the most prominent figures killed:
SUPREME LEADER
*Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who as Supreme Leader since 1989 built an iron grip over Iran while entrenching hostility towards the U.S. and Israel, was killed aged 86 in a U.S.-Israeli air strike on his compound on February 28.
His more than three-decade rule was marked by consolidation of power through the security apparatus, and expansion of Iran’s regional influence, even as tensions over its nuclear programme repeatedly brought it into confrontation with the West.
SENIOR OFFICIALS
*Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and a veteran powerbroker, was killed at 67 in a U.S.-Israeli air strike in the Pardis area on March 17, along with his son and one of his deputies, Iranian media reported.
A former Revolutionary Guards commander and nuclear negotiator, he was a close adviser to the slain Supreme Leader and played an important role in shaping Iran’s security and foreign policy.
*Esmail Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister, was killed in an Israeli strike on March 18. A hardliner cleric and politician, he worked in Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office and was mentored by him, before heading the civilian intelligence apparatus in August 2021.
*Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Khamenei and a key figure in Iran’s security and nuclear policymaking, was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.
He had earlier survived an attack on his home during the 12-day June war between Israel and Iran.
TOP MILITARY COMMANDERS
*Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, Iran’s most powerful military force, was killed in the February 28 strikes in Tehran, Iranian state media said.
He rose through the ranks to lead the Revolutionary Guards after his predecessor Hossein Salami was killed in the 12-day war in June.
*Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran’s defence minister and a career air force officer, was killed in the same wave of strikes targeting senior leadership in Tehran on February 28, according to sources. He played a key role in military planning and defence policy.
*Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was killed in the February 28 strikes during what Iranian media said was a meeting of senior leadership in Tehran. He was responsible for coordinating Iran’s military branches and overseeing conventional forces.
*Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, was 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 the enforcement of state authority.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Dubai newsroom; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Bernadette Baum)
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