Veteran Iranian politician and de facto leader Ali Larijani was assassinated in a US-Israeli airstrike on the eastern outskirts of Tehran on Tuesday, Iranian state media and Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed.
Larijani, 67, was targeted while visiting his daughter. His death removes a central architect of Iran’s security policy and a key figure who managed the country’s wartime operations following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month.
In the same wave of overnight strikes, the Israel Defense Forces killed Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij paramilitary force. The coordinated attacks systematically dismantled the regime’s primary leadership and domestic security apparatus amidst the ongoing war that began on February 28.
The elimination of top Iranian officials severely complicates diplomatic channels in the broader Middle East crisis, as Larijani was viewed by Western capitals as a rare pragmatic negotiator capable of bridging the gap between Iran’s hardline clerics and foreign adversaries.
⭕ Israel — Defense Minister Says Iran Leaders “Hunted” After Strikes
Katz says Ali Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated and “joined Khamenei.” He says the government has instructed the IDF to continue targeting the leadership of Iran’s regime. pic.twitter.com/wZJcyt8BMJ
— ZIONS OF ISRAEL (@Israeli_Sniper) March 17, 2026
Born in Najaf, Iraq, Larijani rose through the ranks as an IRGC staff officer during the Iran-Iraq war. He served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator from 2005 to 2007 and held the position of parliament speaker for 12 years until 2020. Despite a reputation for relative moderation, Larijani maintained strict loyalty to Iran’s theocratic system throughout his career.
The US Treasury sanctioned Larijani in January for his direct role in directing the violent suppression of mass domestic protests. Following international backlash over his involvement in the crackdown, Emory University in the United States dismissed his daughter from a medical teaching position.