Iran’s defense minister, chief of staff of armed forces assassinated in US-Israeli strikes

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh and Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi have been martyred in the latest US-Israeli aggression on the Islamic Republic, officials confirmed.

The aggression was launched on Saturday morning in the capital Tehran, and multiple other Iranian cities, leading to the assassination of several top-ranking military commanders.

Major General Mousavi served as the top military general since June 2026, when the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei picked him to succeed Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who was martyred in Israeli strikes on Iran at the time.

Before that, he had served as the chief of staff and commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army from 2017 to 2025.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Defense Council and a senior adviser to the late Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ali Khamenei, and Chief Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Pakpour had been assassinated in airstrikes by criminal US-Israeli forces the previous day.

Rear Admiral Shamkhani, the former top security official of the Islamic Republic, was severely injured in an Israeli terrorist aggression against Iran on June 13 last year.

He was immediately transferred to a hospital, where he received medical treatment round the clock to help him recuperate from life-threatening injuries.

Interview: Admiral Shamkhani

Admiral Ali Shamkhani confirms he was injured in the Israeli attack on his residence in Tehran.

Many senior military commanders, including chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri, top commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were martyred in the unprovoked and deadly aggression.

Only hours later on June 13, Iran carried out its retaliatory operation True Promise III, targeting critical Israeli military and intelligence facilities in the occupied territories.

Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Mohammad Pakpour as commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), succeeding Major General Salami.

Early on Sunday, the Iranian government confirmed martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei.The Leader of the Islamic Revolution was martyred in a US-Israeli attack on Saturday morning.

Ayatollah Khamenei led Iran and the Muslim Ummah for 37 years since the demise of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini in 1989.

The Iranian Armed Forces have retaliated against US-Israeli aggression by executing extensive missile and drone attacks on the Israeli-occupied territories and American military bases across West Asia.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir