IRGC General Alleged to be Mossad Asset and Linked to Khamenei's Death Reported Arrested

Tehran — Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was reportedly arrested, according to Iranian media outlet AzerNews on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. The unconfirmed report alleges that Qaani is accused of espionage activities aiding the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

Qaani has recently drawn criticism online for allegedly being the last high-ranking IRGC official to have met Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before the deadly Israeli attack on Saturday, 28 February 2026. It is also alleged that Qaani was the last official to meet Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah before Nasrallah was killed in the Israeli strike.

According to AzerNews, the detention of Qaani was carried out by the IRGC. However, to date, the Iranian authorities have not confirmed the report.

On Monday, 2 March 2026, the IRGC stated that after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s enemies would no longer be safe “even in their own homes.” “Enemies must know that their days of happiness are over and they will no longer be safe anywhere in the world, not even in their own homes,” the IRGC was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

Iran will continue to defend against Israel with all its might until victory is achieved, the statement added. On Saturday, 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched attacks on targets inside Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties.

The attack also led to the death of Ayatollah Khamenei along with several senior government and military officials, authorities confirmed on Sunday.”