Iran confirms deaths of Larijani and Soleimani after Israeli strikes

2026-03-18 - 13:51

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed that its secretary, Ali Larijani, was killed in an Israeli air strike, while state media also reported the death of Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. The council described Larijani’s death as martyrdom, stating he died “after a lifetime of striving for the elevation of Iran”, according to remarks carried by Mehr news agency. Larijani is the most senior Iranian official murdered by Israel since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the first strikes together with his family and grandchildren at the start of the illegal US-Israeli war on 28 February.