ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Tuesday it had killed Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian official and a central figure in Tehran’s high-stakes security and diplomatic circles, noting that he was slain in strikes a day earlier. Tehran has yet to confirm the claim.
The IDF said it “conducted a precise strike that eliminated Ali Larijani,” describing him as “the de facto leader” of the Iranian state, adding that the strike was carried out while he was located near Tehran.
The claim comes after a US-Israeli strike on February 28 killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939 - 2026).
While Khamenei’s second son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has since been appointed as the new supreme leader, Larijani, 68, was considered the closest in importance to the late Khamenei and played a central role in Tehran’s nuclear policy and strategic diplomacy for decades.
Larijani was appointed in August as secretary of Iran's highest security body, the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Earlier Tuesday, the IDF said it had also targeted and “eliminated” Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Basij is a large volunteer paramilitary group in Iran that serves as one of the five branches of the IRGC.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official. File photo: Tasnim
Iran17/03/2026
Israel says it killed Iran's top security chief Larijani
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“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated overnight and joined the head of the annihilation program, [Ali] Khamenei, and all the eliminated members of the axis of evil, in the depths of hell,” the IDF said.
Iran has not confirmed or denied the reported killings of Larijani and Soleimani.
Following the IDF statement, an account attributed to Larijani on X shared an undated note purportedly handwritten by the top official, offering condolences for members of the Iranian Navy.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that the joint US-Israel campaign against Iran could “wrap up soon.”
The US and Israel launched the campaign on February 28, with US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying Tuesday that the operation - dubbed Operation Epic Fury - has targeted more than 7,000 sites across Iran, aiming to dismantle the country’s security structure.
In response, Iran said earlier this month it had launched more than 2,000 drones and over 600 missiles targeting US and Israeli positions in the region, particularly in Gulf Arab states, as part of its multi-front response, titled Operation True Promise 4.
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