On the list of eliminated senior Iranian officials and commanders – alongside Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – were, among others, the defense minister, the chief of the general staff, and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Israel Defense Forces reported that the top officials and commanders were killed in strikes carried out in less than a minute. “The moment of the strike was chosen based on data gathered over many months, analyzing the movement patterns of Iran’s elite,” said security expert Prof. Piotr Grochmalski on TV Republika.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, during the initial wave of attacks, U.S.-Israeli forces killed 40 key Iranian military commanders. The IDF maintains that top officials and commanders – including Ali Khamenei – were killed in strikes conducted in under a minute.
One of the objectives of the attack was to eliminate Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and that plan was successfully carried out. Its effectiveness was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and later confirmed by Iranian media outlets.
The Muslim leader was killed on Saturday morning in his office. On Saturday, media outlets published satellite images showing Khamenei’s residence completely destroyed. According to Iranian state media, Khamenei’s daughter, grandson, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law were also killed in the attacks – Reuters reported.
Who else appeared on the list of eliminated officials and commanders of the Iranian regime? Media outlets have so far confirmed the following names:
- Gholameza Rezaian – head of the state police intelligence service
- Abdulrahim Mousavi – Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
- Aziz Nasirzadeh – Minister of Defense
- Mohammad Pakpour – Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- Ali Shamkhani – Khamenei’s security adviser
- Mohammad Shirazi – head of Khamenei’s military office
- Hossein Jabal Ameli – head of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND)
- Reza Mozafari Nia – former head of SPND
- Saleh Asadi – head of intelligence at the unified headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces
“The moment of the strike was chosen based on data gathered over many months, analyzing the movement patterns of Iran’s elite, and the strike was carried out – eliminating Khamenei, who was under special protection, hitting the entire command structure – the chief of staff and the defense minister were eliminated. This is an unbelievable slaughter when it comes to the military elite,” Prof. Piotr Grochmalski, a security expert, said on TV Republika.
“Nine hundred strikes were carried out in the first wave, and now another targeted strike has taken place in Tehran. This is a planned, multi-day operation aimed at eliminating organizational structures. On the one hand, one of the main objectives is to dismantle the regime’s organizational framework – especially its military and religious structures. Some observers are wondering whether there will be sufficient potential within Iranian society to effectively take power, or whether a regime fighting for survival will transition into a quasi-military phase, transforming the religious regime into a brutal military dictatorship. It is difficult to predict how Iran’s future will unfold,” he added.