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Regime change? Iranian leaders killed in Israeli-US war

Thousands gather at Enghelab Square to attend the funeral ceremony for Iranian commanders killed in U.S. and Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on March 11, 2026. The coffins of senior military officials as well as children killed in the attacks are brought
The Iranian government held rallies in Tehran to commemorate commanders killed in the war

Since the start of the war, US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei and a whole echelon of the political and military elite in the Islamic republic.

US President Donald Trump said yesterday that the war had achieved "regime change" and that "we're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before".

But several key figures have survived, and the Islamic republic has shown resilience in rapidly replacing killed leaders and also keeping up the war against the US and Israel.

In the latest fatality, Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the naval force of the Revolutionary Guards who Israel had said was responsible for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, died of his wounds from an Israeli strike on Thursday, the Guards said.

Here is a recap of some of the key figures killed so far in the war:


Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 26: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - 'IRANIAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the nation in Tehran, Iran on June 26, 2025. (Photo by Iranian
Former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strike that started the war

Mr Khamenei, Iran's number one since 1989, was killed in the first hour of the war on 28 February in a strike on a meeting of senior officials in Tehran that also left his daughter-in-law, daughter and at least one grandchild dead, according to reports.

His low-profile son Mojtaba survived - although reportedly with injuries - and took over as supreme leader.

He has yet to make a public appearance.

Ali Khamenei has yet to be buried although Mojtaba has said in a written statement he saw the body.


Security chief Ali Larijani

Security chief Ali Larijani

The killing of Mr Larijani, who despite not being a cleric was a pillar of the system for decades, was likely the biggest loss to the Islamic republic after the death of Ali Khamenei.

Mr Larijani was killed on 17 March in an Israeli strike, reportedly in the Tehran region and which also killed family members.

The previous week, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.


Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour

Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour

Mr Pakpour, previously head of the Guards' ground forces, took over as commander-in-chief in June 2025 after his predecessor Hossein Salami was killed in Israel's 12-day war against Iran.

He was killed on the first day of the war and has been replaced by former interior and defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.


Guards naval chief Alireza Tangsiri

A veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Mr Tangsiri was one of the longest-serving senior figures in the Revolutionary Guards as the head of its navy since 2018 and one of its highest-profile faces within the Islamic republic.

Israel's defence minister described him as the "man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz".


Adviser Ali Shamkhani

Iran's Ali Shamkhani makes a speech during the Regional Security Dialogue Meeting in Tehran, Iran
Adviser Ali Shamkhani was killed on the first day of the war

Mr Shamkhani, a mainstay of the Islamic republic's armed forces since the 1980s, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.

He was given a public funeral in Tehran's Tajrish Square and reportedly buried without his head.

He had been severely wounded, and initially reported dead, in a strike during Israel's June war against Iran but later re-emerged.


Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib

File photograph of Iran's intelligence minister Esmaeil Khatib wearing a head covering and glasses
Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib

A cleric, Mr Khatib was killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran early on 18 March.

As Iran's intelligence minister since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.


Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

Iran Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defense Ministers' Meeting on June 26, 2025 in Shanghai, China. All parties participating in the meeting agreed that they should continue to enhance strategic communication, promote practical cooperation and jo
Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Mr Nasirzadeh had served as defence minister since 2024.

He was also killed in a strike on the first day of the war.


Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani

Gholamreza Soleimani, who was a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Leader of the Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani

Mr Soleimani headed the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group that is a branch of the Revolutionary Guards and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests.

He was killed in an airstrike on 17 March.


Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini

Mr Naini was killed at dawn on Friday in what the Guards described as a "cowardly" attack by the United States and Israel.

Just before his death was confirmed, the Fars news agency issued a statement quoting Mr Naini as saying Iran's missile production deserved a "perfect score" and was continuing despite the war.


Head of military office Mohammad Shirazi

Brigadier General Mohammad Shirazi, Head of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces in Military Affairs, attends a memorial ceremony for IRGC commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians killed in the Iran-Israel war at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in downtown Tehran, Ira
Brigadier General Mohammad Shirazi (centre)

Killed on the opening day of the war, Mr Shirazi had the crucial job of coordinating between the various branches of the Iranian security forces at the office of supreme leader.


Armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi

Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, speaks during a ceremony at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, on August 7, 2025, to commemorate the civilians and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) generals killed during the 12-day war between Iran an
Armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi

Mr Mousavi, killed on the first day of the war, had only taken up his post, a senior position which coordinates between the Guards and the regular army, in June 2025 following the death of his predecessor Mohammad Bagheri in the 12-day war.