Which Senior Iranian Figures Died in the US-Israeli Attack?
The brutal and devastating attack by Israel and the United States on Iran on Saturday, 28 February shocked the world. The Middle Eastern escalation reached its culmination following the massive coordinated operation launched by the US and Israel on that date. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was confirmed dead along with senior government and military figures in the operation.
On Sunday morning, 1 March, Iran’s official news agency IRNA confirmed the death of the 86-year-old Khamenei. His daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren also died in the coordinated US-Israeli strike on Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described Khamenei’s killing as an “open declaration of war against the Islamic community”, particularly Shia followers.
“This tragic event represents the greatest trial facing the Islamic world at present,” Pezeshkian said in a written message expressing condolences over the death of the supreme leader, who had ruled Iran for more than three decades.
IRNA also confirmed the deaths of several other senior figures:
Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran’s Defence Council and key adviser to Khamenei, was among those killed in the air strikes. Shamkhani was a central figure in Iran’s nuclear negotiations, having just completed the latest round on Friday. In his final comments, he stated: “If the main issue of negotiations is not about Iran’s nuclear weapons development, then this aligns with the Supreme Leader’s religious decree and the state’s defence doctrine. An agreement is within reach.” He had previously survived, though severely wounded, in an Israeli attack in June 2025. Shamkhani was known as the second longest-serving security chief since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, was confirmed dead. Mousavi, who assumed the position last year, was the driving force behind Iran’s ballistic missile and drone system development. He previously served as Commander of the Army (2017-2025) and had been subject to Western sanctions over allegations of human rights violations in handling domestic protests in 2019.
Aziz Nasirzadeh, Defence Minister in Pezeshkian’s cabinet, was killed in the operation. Nasirzadeh was known as an outspoken figure unafraid of confronting Western pressure and had previously threatened to flatten US military bases if Iran were attacked. “If conflict is imposed upon us, all US bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in their home country,” Nasirzadeh stated when warning the US and Israel last year. He had also expressed confidence that “Resistance will defeat Israel as happened in 2006”. He previously served as deputy head of the armed forces’ general staff and as commander of Iran’s air force from 2018 to 2021, playing a vital role in safeguarding Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure during heightened tensions with Israel since June 2025.
Mohammad Pakpour, the highest-ranking commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in the strikes. Pakpour, who was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC in June 2025, was a veteran of the 1980s Iran-Iraq War and had commanded IRGC ground forces for 16 years before assuming the top position in this elite military organisation.
A three-member council—comprising President Pezeshkian, Supreme Court Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a member of the Guardian Council—will temporarily assume all leadership duties in the country, according to Iranian state television.
Alireza Arafi, a religious leader in the Guardian Council, has been appointed to Iran’s Leadership Council, a body tasked with fulfilling the Supreme Leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts selects a new leader.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Maziar Motamedi noted that the IRGC and security chief Ali Larijani are also expected to play important roles. He noted that whilst the IRGC’s highest commander has been killed, a Telegram channel linked to the IRGC referred to deputy commander Ahmad Vahidi, appointed to the position by Khamenei two months ago, as a potential candidate.