Since February 28, US and Israeli strikes on Iran have killed several senior political and military figures, affecting the core of the Islamic Republic's leadership in a war that has swept the Middle East and disrupted energy markets and shipping routes, Reuters reports.
The attacks, launched amid nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, brokered by Oman, are the most significant assault on Iran in decades, following a prolonged shadow conflict and a 12-day war in June 2025.
Here are some of the most prominent figures eliminated:
Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who as Iran's supreme leader since 1989 had built an iron grip on the Islamic Republic while entrenching hostility toward the United States and Israel, was killed at the age of 86 in a US-Israeli airstrike on his compound in Tehran on February 28.
His rule, which lasted more than three decades, was marked by consolidating power through the security apparatus and expanding Iran's regional influence, even as tensions over the country's nuclear program repeatedly pitted it against the West.
Senior officials
Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and an influential veteran, was killed at the age of 67 in a US-Israeli airstrike in the Pardis district of Tehran on March 17, along with his son and one of his deputies.
Former commander of the Revolutionary Guards and nuclear negotiator who built relationships with Western negotiators, he was also a close advisor to the slain supreme leader and played a key role in shaping Iran's security and foreign policy.
Ali Shamkhani, a close advisor to Khamenei and a key figure in developing Iran's security and nuclear energy policies, was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.
A former defense minister and longtime security official, he recently re-assumed a central role in wartime decision-making after surviving an attack on his home during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.
Senior military commanders
Mohammad Pakpour, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's most powerful military force, was killed in the strikes on February 28 in Tehran.
A veteran of the Guard, he rose through the ranks to head the unit after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was killed in the 12-day war in June.
Aziz Nasirzadeh, Iran's defense minister and an air force officer, was killed in the same wave of strikes targeting senior leadership in Tehran on February 28. A former air force commander and deputy chief of staff, he played a key role in military planning and defense policy.
Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, was also killed in the strikes on February 28 during a meeting of senior leadership in Tehran. A career officer and former head of the regular army, he was responsible for coordinating Iran's military branches and overseeing conventional forces.
Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force, was killed in a US-Israeli strike on March 17. A senior officer in the Revolutionary Guard, he led the forces that are essential to internal security and the exercise of state power.
In addition to those mentioned, a number of senior Revolutionary Guard commanders and intelligence officials have been killed in strikes, particularly during the initial attack on February 28 against the meeting of the top leadership.