Iran's leadership was wiped out. All of them have been killed.

3 minutes of readingUpdated: Mar 1, 2026 12:41 pm IST

The biggest blow came to Iran on Sunday morning when Iranian state media confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after a massive US-Israeli airstrike against the country, which US President Donald Trump says will continue throughout the week.

The state media anchor was seen collapsing on national television while announcing the news of Khamenei’s death.

Trump also shared the news on Truth Social and said, “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead. This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all great Americans and those people in many countries around the world who have been killed or maimed by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS.”

Senior officials killed in attacks between the United States and Israel

While Khamenei’s death is expected to bring about a major change in the world order and leave the door of destiny open for Iran, reports say that many senior Iranian officials were also killed in the operation.

Sayyid Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, was killed in strikes against Iran, Iranian state media confirmed. The country’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh also died, Tasnim reported.

Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, confirmed the deaths of two high-level military personnel, including Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Defense Council; and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Both were killed in attacks on Saturday in Tehran, the news agency said.

Israel’s Defense Ministry also announced the deaths of seven senior officials in the Iranian defense leadership. Among the dead were Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, Saleh Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Hossein Jabal Amelian and Reza Mozaffari-Nia.

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In a post on

🔴REMOVED:
IAF fighter jets precisely struck military targets across Iran, eliminating 7 senior officials of the Iranian defense leadership:

Ali Shamkhani, Mohammad Pakpour, Saleh Asadi, Mohammad Shirazi, Aziz Nasirzadeh, Hossein Jabal Amelian, Reza Mozaffari-Nia.

The world… pic.twitter.com/747uf7kJ4J

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) February 28, 2026

Mohammad Pakpour was appointed commander-in-chief of the IRGC after his predecessor was killed during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025. He was previously the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, according to The New York Times.

Shamkhani, who was also a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, was injured during the 12-day war.

Khamenei’s family was also killed, and state media reported that his daughter, son-in-law and grandson were also killed in the attacks.

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