Israel says it has killed a linchpin of Iranian politics, the national security chief, Ali Larijani, in overnight strikes, a claim that if confirmed would make him the most senior Iranian figure to die in the war since the supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed on its first day.
Iran has yet to comment on either claim. If confirmed, Larijani’s death would remove a pivotal figure at the heart of the regime’s political and security establishment at a moment of acute crisis and represent devastating blow.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said a separate strike killed the Basij paramilitary force commander, Gholamreza Soleimani, along with other senior Basij figures.
“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation programme, Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell, Katz said on Tuesday.
Born in Iraq to a prominent clerical family, Larijani built a career across Iran’s military, media and political institutions. He served in the Revolutionary Guard, led state broadcasting, and was speaker of parliament for more than a decade.
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He also served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator in talks with Western powers and supported the 2015 nuclear deal before it collapsed following the United Stat
In recent years, he had taken on a more active diplomatic role, engaging Gulf states as Tehran explored renewed negotiations before the outbreak of war.
Despite his reputation as a pragmatist, Larijani remained a firm defender of Iran’s nuclear programme. “We are not moving towards weapons, but pressure could force Iran in that direction,” he warned in 2025.
He was also among senior officials sanctioned by Washington over the government’s response to nationwide protests, which rights groups say were met with deadly force.
