52 senior Iranian officials and commanders killed in US and Israeli attacks
What follows is a list of fifty-two senior military, intelligence and security officials of the Islamic Republic who have been killed in recent years—mostly in Israeli operations and in some cases with US involvement.
The scale of these targeted killings is striking. Together they represent a substantial portion of the upper tiers of Iran’s military and security leadership.
The campaign has inflicted significant damage on the command structure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, weakening the core network responsible for directing the Islamic Republic’s military apparatus. At the same time, key decision-making circles at the highest levels of the state have also been affected, facing disruption and erosion.
These killings offer a revealing picture of the level of intelligence penetration, operational precision, and the sustained focus on the central nodes of power within the Islamic Republic.
The names below are grouped broadly by field of activity. The list is not arranged by rank or importance.
Ali Khamenei: Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, was considered the most important figure in the country’s political and military structure. In his role as commander-in-chief, he held the highest level of decision-making authority in security and military affairs, while simultaneously standing at the apex of political power as the Supreme Leader.
His killing dealt an extremely heavy blow to the governing structure of the Islamic Republic and, at the same time, caused a serious and unprecedented disruption to the command network of the armed forces.
Ali Larijani: Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council
Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, emerged as one of the most prominent figures at the highest levels of the Islamic Republic’s leadership following the killing of Ali Khamenei. He was a well-known figure on the international stage and had a long record within the Islamic Republic’s security and political structures.
Larijani had previously served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as deputy to the Joint Staff, and for ten years he headed the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) as a chairman appointed by Khamenei. After the twelve-day war, he was appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and was regarded as a key figure in managing the country’s crises including in the massacre of thousands of protesters in January 2026.
Some supporters of the system believed Larijani could steer the Islamic Republic out of its crises through engagement with the international community. However, he too was ultimately killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting his hideout.
Ali Shamkhani: Secretary of the Defense Council
Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Defense Council, was among the key figures in the Islamic Republic’s security and military structure. The Defense Council was established after the twelve-day war with Israel in June 2025, with the aim of creating a body beyond purely military structures to oversee war management and major strategic decisions.
Shamkhani was also a political advisor to Ali Khamenei and maintained close ties with him. During the Iran–Iraq war, he served as deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC, and after the war, he simultaneously commanded both the naval forces of the IRGC and the regular army for eight years. Under President Mohammad Khatami, he served as Minister of Defense.
From the start of Hassan Rouhani’s administration, Shamkhani served as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council for ten years, but later, according to some of Rouhani’s aides, became one of the obstacles to reviving the nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.
Before being killed by Israel, he said in an interview that he regretted not having built a nuclear bomb for the Islamic Republic during his tenure as defense minister. Shamkhani was targeted and killed during a meeting also attended by two senior officials of Iran’s nuclear program – a meeting believed to have been focused on decisions regarding the construction of a nuclear bomb.
Mohammad Bagheri: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, was a longtime commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps with 44 years of service in the institution. He was targeted and killed by Israel in the very first minutes of the twelve-day war.
Bagheri was considered the highest-ranking military official of the Islamic Republic after Ali Khamenei. As Chief of Staff, he was responsible for coordinating between the IRGC, the regular army, the police force, and the Ministry of Defense. He was regarded as one of the most important military commanders within the IRGC.
During the Iran–Iraq War, he served as head of intelligence operations at Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters, the most important wartime command center in that period. His brother, Hassan Bagheri, was also a well-known commander killed during the Iran–Iraq War.
In recent years, Bagheri had said: “As Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, I declare that no country in the region is capable of attacking the Islamic Republic, and we are preparing ourselves for a confrontation with the United States. In the event of an attack on the Islamic Republic, we will set US bases in the region on fire.” However, Israel’s attack during the twelve-day war, along with subsequent US and Israeli strikes in March 2026, proved this assessment wrong. He was killed in the opening minutes of the twelve-day war and never witnessed either conflict.
Abdolrahim Mousavi: Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
Abdolrahim Mousavi, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, was appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces following the killing of Bagheri during the twelve-day war with Israel. This marked the first time since the establishment of the Armed Forces General Staff in 1989 that an army commander had assumed this position.
Mousavi served as Commander-in-Chief of the army for eight years, from 2017 to 2025.
During the recent war, he was targeted in a Defense Council meeting and killed in the very first minutes. Prior to the outbreak of the war, Mousavi – like Mohammad Bagheri – had made numerous threats against the United States and Israel. He was finally killed in the opening moments of the conflict.
Gholamreza Mehrabi: Deputy for Intelligence, Armed Forces General Staff
Gholamreza Mehrabi, Deputy for Intelligence at the Armed Forces General Staff, was killed during the twelve-day war while present at a wartime command center of the IRGC Aerospace Force, alongside its commander, Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Mehrabi was a longtime figure in military intelligence dating back to the Iran–Iraq War and was considered a close associate and colleague of Mohammad Bagheri, the then Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
He was also part of the network of people from Khuzestan within the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Mehdi Rabbani: Deputy for Operations, Armed Forces General Staff
Mehdi Rabbani, Deputy for Operations at the Armed Forces General Staff, was killed during the twelve-day war on the very first night, after his home was targeted.
He was among the founders of the Imam Ali security battalions – units widely known as some of the most prominent repression forces within the Islamic Republic’s structure. These battalions are part of the IRGC’s special units, typically deployed on motorcycles in urban areas and actively involved in suppressing protests.
Following the 2009 protests, known as the Green Movement, Rabbani was tasked with establishing and organizing these motorcycle units. In the years that followed, they became one of the main instruments for controlling and suppressing protests across the country.
Bahram Hosseini Motlagh: Deputy to the Operations Chief, Armed Forces General Staff
Bahram Hosseini Motlagh was among the commanders who were promoted to higher positions within the Armed Forces General Staff following the killing of several commanders during the twelve-day war. He served as deputy to the head of operations at the General Staff.
He had previously been the IRGC commander for Tehran Province, where he was responsible for suppressing protests in cities across the province, excluding Greater Tehran. He also served for a period as commander of the IRGC in Karaj, an area that in recent years has been a major center of anti-government protests.
Hosseini Motlagh was sanctioned by the European Union for his role in widespread human rights violations.
Mohsen Darrebaghi: Deputy for Logistics and Support, Armed Forces General Staff
Mohsen Darrebaghi, Deputy for Logistics and Support at the Armed Forces General Staff, was killed on the first day of US and Israeli attacks in March 2026. In his role, he oversaw support affairs and industrial research, playing a key part in the logistical and industrial supply of the armed forces.
Darrebaghi had previously served as commander of the Chabahar Air Base, deputy commander of the Air Force, and also as deputy for support within the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
Asadollah Badfar: Head of the Basij at the Armed Forces General Staff
Asadollah Badfar, head of the Basij at the Armed Forces General Staff, was killed during the recent US and Israeli attacks.
He had previously overseen the Basij’s central secretariat within the General Staff and was considered an influential figure in coordinating the Basij structure at the highest military level.
Badfar was among the longtime commanders of both the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Basij.
Gholamali Rashid: Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters
Gholamali Rashid, commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, was one of the most important military figures of the Islamic Republic. In the event of a war with the United States and Israel, he would have been responsible for overseeing wartime operations. Khatam al-Anbia is regarded as the highest wartime command headquarters in the Islamic Republic.
Rashid was a longtime IRGC commander and one of the five key decision-making commanders during the Iran–Iraq War. He had 44 years of service in the IRGC and had been arrested prior to the 1979 revolution on charges of armed struggle against the former Iranian government. He was also a prominent member of the circle of IRGC commanders from Khuzestan led by Mohsen Rezaei.
After the Iran–Iraq War, he believed that the Islamic Republic’s proxy forces – six main groups, in his view, formed under Qassem Soleimani – acted as defensive trenches around Iran, making it impossible for the United States and Israel to reach the country without first overcoming these layers. He also believed that, if conditions allowed for a ground war, the IRGC and the army could defeat Israel in a joint operation.
However, the twelve-day war and subsequent developments showed that both of these assessments were incorrect. Rashid was targeted and killed in the opening minutes of the twelve-day war and never witnessed these developments.
Ali Shadmani: Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters
Ali Shadmani, commander of Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, was appointed to the position during the twelve-day war following the killing of Gholamali Rashid. Prior to that, he had served as deputy commander of the headquarters and was selected for the role by Ali Khamenei. His tenure was extremely brief, lasting roughly half a week.
Shadmani’s hideout was targeted twice by Israeli airstrikes in a single day. He survived the first attack but was killed in the second.
During the Iran–Iraq war, Shadmani was a senior IRGC commander in Hamedan Province, and in later years became one of the senior commanders within the Armed Forces General Staff.
Saleh Asadi: Head of Intelligence, Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters
Saleh Asadi, head of intelligence at Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, was killed on the first day of the war.
He was targeted while attending a Defense Council meeting – believed to have been convened for final decision-making regarding the construction of a nuclear bomb.
At the time of his death, Asadi was considered the highest-ranking military intelligence official within the Islamic Republic’s armed forces. Despite this, he remained largely unknown in the public sphere.
Hossein Salami: Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), held the position for six years from 2019 to 2025. He was known for his frequent threats and rhetoric against the United States and Israel.
Salami was targeted and killed in the opening minutes of the twelve-day war.
During the Iran–Iraq War, he was among IRGC commanders and part of the Isfahan circle of commanders, led by Yahya Rahim Safavi. At the time, he served as one of the commanders of the 14th Imam Hossein Division.
After the war, Salami took command of the IRGC Air Force and later served for ten years, from 2009 to 2019, as deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC under Mohammad Ali Jafari.
Mohammad Pakpour: Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Mohammad Pakpour was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) following the killing of Hossein Salami during the twelve-day war. However, he too was targeted and killed in the opening moments of the subsequent conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States and Israel.
Pakpour appears to have been struck during a Defense Council meeting chaired by Ali Shamkhani. The composition of attendees – including two senior IRGC commanders involved in the nuclear sector – has strengthened the assumption that the meeting was focused on decision-making regarding the construction of a nuclear bomb.
During the Iran–Iraq War, Pakpour was a commander in the IRGC Ground Forces. He later served for more than a decade as commander of the IRGC Ground Forces before being appointed commander-in-chief of the IRGC.
Prior to the outbreak of the recent war, Pakpour had presented himself as an operational field commander during visits to IRGC military sites along the Persian Gulf. However, like many other senior IRGC commanders, he was killed in the very first minutes of the war and never witnessed its course.
Masoud Shanei: Chief of Staff to the IRGC Commander-in-Chief
Masoud Shanei, Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was among the figures close to the command circle of the institution and was killed alongside Hossein Salami, the IRGC commander-in-chief.
As chief of staff, he was responsible for coordinating and managing communications between the IRGC commander-in-chief and other senior commanders. The position also played a key role in regulating relations between the IRGC leadership and other top officials of the Islamic Republic.
Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam: Architect of the Islamic Republic’s Missile Program
Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam is widely regarded in the Islamic Republic as the architect of its missile program. He was a senior commander in the IRGC Aerospace Force and maintained close ties with Ali Khamenei in advancing Iran’s missile capabilities.
Tehrani Moghaddam played a key role in the formation and development of the Islamic Republic’s missile program and was considered one of its central figures.
He was killed in 2011 in a massive explosion at the Bidgoneh military base near Tehran. The Islamic Republic described the incident as an accidental explosion, but there has also been speculation that he may have been killed as a result of an Israeli intelligence operation.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh: Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force
Amir Ali Hajizadeh was serving as commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force at the time of his death during the twelve-day war. He can be considered, after Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, one of the principal architects of the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone capabilities.
Hajizadeh commanded the IRGC Aerospace Force from 2009 until June 2025, when he was killed in the war with Israel. The force comprises five main branches: missile, drone, air, air defense, and space, with the missile and drone divisions being the most significant.
He believed that Israel’s air defense systems would not be able to withstand large-scale missile attacks by the Islamic Republic – estimated by him to involve 500 to 1,000 missiles – and that the defense network would collapse. However, the twelve-day war and subsequent developments showed this assessment to be incorrect.
Hajizadeh was also known for organizing exhibitions showcasing various missiles and drones and presenting them to Ali Khamenei. He was targeted and killed in the opening minutes of the twelve-day war.
Mahmoud Bagheri: Missile Commander, IRGC Aerospace Force
Mahmoud Bagheri, missile commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, was killed during the twelve-day war alongside Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
Within the Islamic Republic’s structure, the identity of the IRGC’s missile commander is typically not publicly disclosed, and the position is considered one of the least visible in the media. Bagheri led the missile division for sixteen years, during which his name was never officially revealed.
He was regarded as a key figure in the development of the Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities, playing an important role in enhancing both the destructive power and speed of its missile systems.
Davoud Sheikhian: Air Defense Commander, IRGC Aerospace Force
Davoud Sheikhian, a senior commander in the IRGC Aerospace Force, was responsible for the force’s air defense and was killed during the twelve-day war.
He had previously claimed that the Islamic Republic did not need Russia’s S-400 air defense system, arguing that domestically developed systems performed better.
However, the performance of Iran’s air defenses during the twelve-day war, the recent conflict, and US and Israeli operations against Iran demonstrated that this assessment was incorrect.
Esmail Dehghan: Senior Commander, IRGC Aerospace Force
Esmail Dehghan, a senior commander in the IRGC Aerospace Force, was killed in the early days of the recent US and Israeli operations against the Islamic Republic.
State media reported that he was targeted and killed in Arak along with members of his family.
His official position within the IRGC was never publicly disclosed, but he is believed to have been among commanders involved in the force’s sensitive and strategic sectors.
Alireza Tangsiri: Commander of the IRGC Navy
Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed on the eve of an intensified maritime confrontation in the Persian Gulf. His death marked a significant blow to the IRGC’s command structure amid the conflict with the United States and Israel.
Tangsiri previously served for five years as commander of the IRGC’s First Naval District in Bandar Abbas. He was also deputy commander of the IRGC Navy for eight years during the tenure of Ali Fadavi. Since 2018, he had led the force as its commander, becoming a central figure and long-standing symbol of the IRGC Navy’s senior leadership.
With Tangsiri’s killing, Israel has now targeted commanders across all three main branches of the IRGC — ground, aerospace, and naval forces — as part of its military campaign.
Qassem Soleimani: Commander of the IRGC Quds Force
Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC Quds Force, was the most prominent figure within the institution to have been targeted by the United States and Israel. He was killed in January 2020 at Baghdad International Airport in a US drone strike, alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces.
During the Iran–Iraq War, Soleimani commanded the IRGC’s 41st Tharallah Division, composed of forces from Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. He later served as commander of the Quds Force from 1997 until his death in January 2020.
Soleimani was among the closest and most trusted IRGC commanders to Ali Khamenei and played a central role in shaping the Islamic Republic’s regional policies. He oversaw Iran’s network of proxy forces across the Middle East and considered himself the architect of this network.
Some analysts argue that the policies of Barack Obama and his administration’s conciliatory approach contributed to the rise and consolidation of Soleimani’s regional influence. However, when Donald Trump decided to target him, Soleimani was killed. Subsequently, during Trump’s second term, in coordination with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a significant portion of his legacy – the Islamic Republic’s proxy network – was heavily targeted and weakened.
The Islamic Republic has never been able to fully compensate for the loss created by Soleimani’s killing.
Mohammad Reza Zahedi: Senior IRGC Commander in Syria
Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior IRGC commander in Syria, was killed in April 2024 in an Israeli F-35 airstrike on Damascus.
He served as the top commander of the Islamic Republic’s forces in Syria, where one of his key responsibilities was coordinating IRGC operations in support of Bashar al-Assad’s government. Zahedi operated under the supervision of Qassem Soleimani and was considered a key figure in Iran’s network of proxy forces.
Zahedi was a longtime IRGC commander and had previously served as commander of the IRGC Ground Forces. He held multiple postings as a senior IRGC commander in both Syria and Lebanon.
He was also part of the Isfahan circle of IRGC commanders and, during the Iran–Iraq War, was among the senior commanders of the 14th Imam Hossein Division.
His killing in April 2024 prompted retaliatory missile strikes by the Islamic Republic against Israel.
Abbas Nilforoushan: Senior IRGC Commander in Syria and Lebanon
Abbas Nilforoushan was appointed as the senior IRGC commander in Syria and Lebanon following the killing of Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Damascus, taking responsibility for coordinating the IRGC’s regional activities in both countries.
Prior to this appointment, he served as the IRGC’s deputy for operations. Nilforoushan worked closely with Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, in confronting Israel and was considered a key figure in managing coordination between the IRGC and Hezbollah.
During the Hezbollah–Israel conflict, which began in 2023 and continued into 2024, Nasrallah’s hideout was exposed and targeted in an Israeli airstrike using bunker-buster bombs. As a result, Nilforoushan was killed alongside Nasrallah in September 2024.
He was also a member of the Isfahan circle of IRGC commanders.
Mohammad Hadi Hajrahimi: Deputy Commander of the IRGC Quds Force
Mohammad Hadi Hajrahimi was a senior IRGC commander in Syria who was killed in April 2024 during an Israeli strike on a meeting of IRGC commanders in the country.
He had previously served as the coordinating deputy of the IRGC Quds Force and was considered an influential figure within its operational structure.
Until 2021, Hajrahimi also commanded a special Quds Force unit known as Imam Ali. He was regarded as one of the key figures in the force’s training sector, responsible for organizing and managing training camps inside Iran for personnel affiliated with the Islamic Republic’s proxy groups.
Saeed Izadi: Head of the Palestinian Affairs Desk, IRGC Quds Force
Saeed Izadi, known as Haj Ramezan, was responsible for the Palestinian portfolio within the IRGC Quds Force.
He oversaw coordination and communication between the IRGC and groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian factions aligned with the Islamic Republic, playing a key role in managing this network within Iran’s regional strategy.
Izadi was killed during the twelve-day war after his home in the city of Qom was targeted.
Prior to his death, he was not widely known in the public sphere or media. There had also been earlier reports – later denied – that he had been killed at the time of Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.
Razi Mousavi: Head of Logistics and Supply, IRGC in Syria and Lebanon
Razi Mousavi was one of the most important IRGC commanders in Syria and Lebanon, who was targeted and killed by Israel in December 2023.
He was responsible for logistics and supply for IRGC forces in Syria and Lebanon, as well as for the Islamic Republic’s network of proxy forces in those countries, playing a key role in their operational support.
Mousavi was also accused of supplying weapons to Palestinian groups aligned with the Islamic Republic in the West Bank, through arms smuggling networks via Jordan.
He was considered one of Qassem Soleimani’s closest aides in Syria.
Hassan Shateri: Head of Lebanon Reconstruction, IRGC Quds Force
Hassan Shateri, deputy for engineering in the IRGC Quds Force and head of Lebanon’s reconstruction following the 2006 war, was among the commanders active in external support and engineering operations.
Acting under the direction of Qassem Soleimani, he was tasked with rebuilding areas under Hezbollah’s control in southern Beirut, playing a significant role in consolidating the Islamic Republic’s influence in Lebanon.
Shateri was killed in February 2013 while traveling from Damascus to Beirut in an Israeli airstrike.
The IRGC’s involvement in reconstructing war-affected areas in Lebanon – while many deprived and earthquake-stricken regions inside Iran faced shortages of reconstruction resources – has long been a subject of criticism. The slogan “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran,” chanted by Iranian protesters, reflects these criticisms.
Asghar Bagheri – Commander of Unit 840 of the IRGC Quds Force
Bagheri was targeted and killed by Israel in the same strike that also targeted Majid Khademi.
Israel said Asghar Bagheri had been involved in numerous attacks against Israeli and American individuals and targets around the world. He was specifically responsible for operations targeting Jews and Israelis in various countries.
Mohammad Ali Allahdadi: Head of the Golan Front in Syria
Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a senior IRGC commander and head of the Golan front in Syria, was killed in 2015 in an Israeli airstrike.
In the same strike, Jihad Mughniyeh, a Hezbollah commander and son of Imad Mughniyeh, was also killed.
Allahdadi operated in Syria under the supervision of Qassem Soleimani and was among the active figures managing the Islamic Republic’s military presence in the country.
Earlier, during the Iran–Iraq War, he served in the IRGC’s 41st Tharallah Division under Soleimani’s command, and was later appointed commander of the IRGC in Yazd Province.
Davoud Alizadeh: Senior IRGC Commander in Lebanon
Davoud Alizadeh was appointed as the senior IRGC official in Lebanon following the killings of Abbas Nilforoushan and Mohammad Reza Zahedi, taking on a central role in directing the force’s activities in the country.
He served as the main liaison between the IRGC and the Islamic Republic on one side and Naim Qassem, the new Secretary-General of Hezbollah, on the other.
Alizadeh was killed in March 2026 during an Israeli strike on the hotel where he was staying in Beirut, along with two other IRGC commanders.
Abuzar Mohammadi: Commander of the IRGC Missile Unit in Lebanon
Abuzar Mohammadi was a senior IRGC commander who served as the head of the force’s missile unit in Lebanon and was killed during the renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2026.
He was targeted on March 10 and was identified by Israel as a key figure in coordinating military operations between the IRGC and Hezbollah.
Mohammadi played an important role in maintaining communication between Hezbollah and senior officials of the Islamic Republic and was considered one of the influential figures in managing this relationship.
He was also among the main figures responsible for rebuilding Hezbollah’s missile capabilities after the 2023–2024 war with Israel.
Hossein Hamedani: Commander of Iranian Forces in Syria
Hossein Hamedani, a senior IRGC commander and head of Iranian forces in Syria, was killed while operating in the country.
He served under Qassem Soleimani in Syria and played a key role in coordinating IRGC forces in support of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
During the 2009 protests, known as the Green Movement, Hamedani served as commander of the IRGC in Tehran and played a significant role in suppressing protesters. He later acknowledged organizing several thousand individuals, described as “thugs,” to confront and attack demonstrators.
Hamedani had more than four decades of service in the IRGC and was considered one of its veteran commanders.
Gholamreza Soleimani: Head of the Basij Organization
Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij Organization, commanded the most significant paramilitary force affiliated with the IRGC. The Basij comprises more than twenty branches and subdivisions within the Islamic Republic, among which the Student Basij is one of the most prominent.
Prior to his appointment, Soleimani held various positions within the IRGC structure. He played a key role in suppressing protesters during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising in 2022, as well as in the crackdown and killings of protesters in January 2026. Due to his role in suppressing protests – particularly during the November 2019 events – he was sanctioned by the United States for human rights violations.
He had 44 years of service in the IRGC and, during the Iran–Iraq War, was among the commanders of IRGC combat brigades. After the war, he was appointed commander of the 41st Tharallah Division and the 14th Imam Hossein Division, and later served as commander of the IRGC in Isfahan Province.
Gholamreza Soleimani was killed in the third week of the recent war, along with several Basij commanders.
Qasem Qoreishi: Deputy Head of the Basij Organization
Qasem Qoreishi, deputy commander of the Basij Organization, was among the senior IRGC commanders who played a key role in coordinating Basij forces across the country, particularly in responding to domestic protests.
He had experience across multiple levels of Basij command and was regarded as one of the more politically engaged figures among IRGC commanders. One of his responsibilities in recent years reportedly included involvement in the process of reviewing and approving or disqualifying candidates for parliamentary elections.
Qoreishi played an active role in suppressing protests, including during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising and in the crackdown and killings of protesters in January 2026.
He was killed in the third week of the recent war, alongside Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij, while they were taking shelter in a tent in a remote area outside urban centers in an apparent attempt to evade Israeli strikes.
Esmail Khatib: Minister of Intelligence
Esmail Khatib, Minister of Intelligence and head of the Intelligence Community Coordination Council, was a key figure in the Islamic Republic’s security structure. The exact number of Iran’s intelligence agencies has never been officially disclosed, but estimates suggest there are around seventeen. Among them, three main bodies – the Ministry of Intelligence, the IRGC Intelligence Organization, and the Police Intelligence Organization – hold the greatest importance.
Khatib was a longtime IRGC figure in intelligence and security fields and served as Minister of Intelligence under both President Ebrahim Raisi and President Masoud Pezeshkian. The intelligence minister is typically appointed with the direct approval of the Supreme Leader.
The assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, along with the killing of numerous senior IRGC commanders and officials, was seen by some observers as a major failure for the Ministry of Intelligence and the institutions under Khatib’s oversight.
He had previously claimed that Israel’s espionage network inside Iran had been dismantled. However, he was targeted and killed during the twelve-day war. Prior to his death, several of his senior deputies and officials had also been killed in Israeli strikes.
Akbar Ghaffari: Deputy Minister of Intelligence
Akbar Ghaffari, Deputy Minister of Intelligence and the second-highest-ranking official in the ministry, was killed during joint US and Israeli strikes.
He was targeted a few days before the killing of Esmail Khatib and was among the officials eliminated in the early stages of the attacks.
Ghaffari had previously served as political and security deputy to the governor of East Azarbaijan Province.
Yahya Hosseini Panjaki: Deputy Intelligence Minister for Israel Affairs
Yahya Hosseini Panjaki, also known as Yahya Hamidi, served as Deputy Minister of Intelligence for Israel affairs and was killed on the first day of the war, on February 28, 2026 during the recent Israeli strike.
He was responsible for directing operations related to Israel within the Ministry of Intelligence and played a central role in planning and executing actions against Israeli-linked targets, including activities targeting Jewish communities in Western countries as well as opponents of the Islamic Republic inside and outside Iran.
Hosseini Panjaki was also among the figures involved in threats and actions against the Iran International network in recent years.
He was considered part of a new generation of intelligence officials trusted by Ali Khamenei.
Javad Pourhossein: Head of Foreign Intelligence, Ministry of Intelligence
Javad Pourhossein, head of the foreign intelligence unit of the Ministry of Intelligence, was among the ministry’s senior officials killed on the first day of the US and Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.
He was one of four senior Ministry of Intelligence officials targeted simultaneously. Limited information has been publicly disclosed about his background and activities.
Alongside him, the heads of the ministry’s security unit, war unit, counterterrorism unit, and its advisor on war with Israel were also killed.
Gholamreza Rezaeian: Head of the Police Intelligence Organization
Gholamreza Rezaeian, head of the police intelligence organization, was targeted and killed at the outset of the recent US and Israeli operations against the Islamic Republic.
The police intelligence organization is considered one of the three main intelligence bodies of the Islamic Republic, alongside the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC Intelligence Organization. It was established in 2021 following the widespread protests of November 2019.
After the 2019 protests – the most extensive nationwide unrest up to that point – the Islamic Republic’s strategy focused on expanding intelligence institutions and strengthening law enforcement forces. Within this framework, the police intelligence organization was created as a new security body.
However, the widespread protests of 2022 and the nationwide uprisings of 2026 demonstrated that the creation of new intelligence bodies and the expansion of anti-riot forces alone were not sufficient to contain and control public unrest.
Alireza Lotfi: Deputy Head of the Police Intelligence Organization
Alireza Lotfi, deputy head of the police intelligence organization and the second-ranking official within the body, was killed during the twelve-day war between Israel and the Islamic Republic.
He had previously served as chief of Tehran’s Criminal Investigation Police and was regarded as a controversial and widely criticized figure among police commanders. Lotfi had also served for a period as deputy of the police intelligence unit.
He played a significant role in the suppression of protesters during recent years’ unrest.
Mohammad Kazemi: Head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization
Mohammad Kazemi was appointed head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization in 2022 following a series of intelligence failures and the removal of Hossein Taeb. He had previously led the IRGC Intelligence Protection Organization for 13 years, from 2009 to 2022.
During the twelve-day war, he was killed in what was described as an intelligence deception operation. Reports indicate he was lured by false information to a location targeted by Israel, where he was killed. Kazemi was considered a veteran intelligence and security figure within the IRGC.
Majid Khademi – Head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization
Khademi was appointed head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence organization after the 12-day war and the killing of Mohammad Kazemi. At the same time, he also served as head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Protection Organization.
Khademi’s killing by Israel completed a chain of strikes targeting the heads of the Islamic Republic’s three main intelligence bodies. Within roughly 40 days, Israel targeted and killed the head of the IRGC’s intelligence organization, Esmail Khatib—the Islamic Republic’s intelligence minister—and Gholamreza Rezaeian, the head of the intelligence organization of Iran’s police force (FARAJA).
If this development is considered alongside the killings of Ali Khamenei and Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, its significance becomes clearer. In a simulated equivalent scenario, the killing of these five figures would be comparable to the simultaneous killing of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister; Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israeli military; David Barnea, head of Mossad; Shlomi Binder, chief of Israeli military intelligence; and General David Zini, head of Shin Bet—something the Islamic Republic, of course, has been unable to achieve.
Hassan Mohaqeq: Deputy Head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization
Hassan Mohaqeq, deputy head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, was a key figure within its intelligence structure. He was killed during the twelve-day war alongside Mohammad Kazemi after both were caught in an Israeli intelligence deception and targeted in a safe house.
Mohaqeq was a longtime IRGC commander and maintained close ties with Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei. During the Iran–Iraq War, Mojtaba Khamenei served in a unit commanded by Mohaqeq. Following Ali Khamenei’s rise to leadership in 1989, Mohaqeq leveraged this connection to advance within the system, becoming one of the principal intelligence figures in the Islamic Republic.
Aziz Nasirzadeh: Minister of Defense
Aziz Nasirzadeh, Minister of Defense, was killed in the opening minutes of the recent war during a Defense Council meeting.
As defense minister, he oversaw Iran’s military industries but did not play a direct role in wartime decision-making, which is primarily handled by the Armed Forces General Staff and IRGC commanders. Prior to this role, he served as deputy chief of staff of the armed forces and earlier as commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: Founder and Former Head of SPND
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Islamic Republic’s most important nuclear program manager, was the founder and former head of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), which oversees projects related to advanced weapons, including nuclear development.
He was one of the most wanted figures by Israeli intelligence and was assassinated in 2020 near Tehran in a targeted operation using a pre-programmed automated weapon system. Fakhrizadeh remains the most prominent figure associated with Iran’s nuclear program to have been killed.
Hossein Jabal-Amelian: Head of SPND
Hossein Jabal-Amelian, head of SPND under the Ministry of Defense, was responsible for an organization widely linked to nuclear weapons-related projects.
He was killed during a Defense Council meeting alongside Reza Mozaffari-Nia, the organization’s former head. Their simultaneous presence at the meeting has fueled speculation that it was focused on decisions regarding nuclear weapons development. Both were senior IRGC figures.
Reza Mozaffari-Nia: Former Head of SPND
Reza Mozaffari-Nia, former head of SPND, was killed on the first day of the war while attending a Defense Council meeting.
SPND is a Defense Ministry body established in 2010 which the United States calls a successor to Iran’s alleged pre-2004 nuclear weapons program.
Mozaffari-Nia had previously served as deputy defense minister and as president of Malek Ashtar University of Technology, affiliated with the Ministry of Defense.
His name initially appeared on lists of those killed during the twelve-day war, but was later removed after reports indicated he had survived; subsequent information confirmed his death in the later phase of the conflict.
Mohammad Shirazi: Head of the Supreme Leader’s Military Office
Mohammad Shirazi, head of Ali Khamenei’s military office, was killed alongside him during the bombing on the first day of the war.
He managed the office that served as the link between the Supreme Leader and the armed forces, transmitting orders and reporting on military performance. He was a key figure in maintaining communication between the top of the political hierarchy and the military command structure. His brother, Ali Shirazi, is also a senior cleric within the armed forces structure.
Akbar Ebrahimzadeh: Deputy Head of the Supreme Leader’s Military Office
Ebrahim Akbarzadeh, deputy head of the Supreme Leader’s military office, was among the figures close to the military command circle who played a role in facilitating communication between the leader and the armed forces.
He served as deputy to Mohammad Shirazi and was killed alongside him during the bombing of Ali Khamenei’s residence. He had previously served as deputy at the Armed Forces General Staff for Basij affairs.
Abolghasem Babaian: Head of the Supreme Leader’s Military Office
Abolghasem Babaian was appointed head of the Supreme Leader’s military office following the killings of Mohammad Shirazi and his deputy. However, his tenure was brief – lasting about a week – before he was killed in subsequent Israeli airstrikes.
He had previously served as a special inspector within the Armed Forces General Staff.
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