Iran has confirmed the death of Ali Larijani, one of its most powerful figures in the ongoing war against the US and Israel and close confidant of slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Mojtaba, Iranian media said on Tuesday.
The confirmation comes hours after Israel said to have killed Larijani, the most senior figure targeted since Khamenei’s death at the start of war on February 28. Larijani was considered one of the most powerful figures in Iran since Khamenei’s death.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Larijani, along with Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, were “eliminated” on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, an Iranian news agency, Mizan, quoting the Revolutionary Guard confirmed Soleimani’s killing. The two leaders were key to Iran’s violent crackdown on protests in January that challenged the regime’s 47-year rule.
Larijani, a former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, advised the late Khamenei on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration. He was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in January for his role “coordinating” Iran’s violent suppression of nationwide protests.
Soleimani was also sanctioned by the U.S., the European Union and other nations, over his role in suppressing dissent for years through the Basij.
