Iranian security chief who taunted Trump and head of brutal Basij militia killed in targeted airstrikes, Iran confirms

Earlier, the IDF said its air force had killed Gholamreza Soleimani, a top militia commander, on Monday.

It comes as Israeli forces also claimed that they had also targeted and killed the secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, in the strike.

Ali Larijani, the influential secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), was one of several Iranian chiefs to publicly taunt President Trump and Israel during an annual anti-Israeli Quds Day rally last week.

Attending the rally alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Larijani had previously dismissed Israeli-US attacks on Tehran as being an act "of desperation".

"These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn't bomb demonstrations at all. It's clear that it has failed," Ali Larijani told state TV last week.

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Soleimani, head of Iran's Basij unit - a paramilitary group involved in the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, lead the Revolutionary Guard-linked militia for six years.

His death was confirmed by the IDF in a Telegram post and subsequent press conference on Tuesday, with Iranian media yet to confirm the death.

Following reports of Larijani's death, Iran appeared to deny the report, posting a handwritten note alleged to have been written by the chief to his social media account within minutes of the press conference taking place.

The note read: "On the occasion of the funeral ceremony for the valiant martyrs of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy: Their memory will forever remain in the heart of the Iranian nation, and these martyrdoms will strengthen the foundation of the Islamic Republic's Army for years to come within the structure of the armed forces."

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Middle East, a drone strike on a major UAE oil terminal saw a further complex engulfed in in flames.

It comes amid continued retaliatory - and often seemingly indiscriminate strikes by Iran on neighbouring Gulf states.

Larijani was a key advisor of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, becoming one of the highest profile Iranian figures to survive the ongoing attacks by Israel and the US.

Just a day earlier, Larijani had addressed Donald Trump directly on social media, writing: "While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation."

It comes as new details emerged of an airstrike which targeted Iran’s new supreme leader - an attack that killed both his father and wife.

Audio recordings reveal Mojtaba Khamenei stepped outside for a walk in his garden when the airstrike took place.

It is understood he was badly wounded in the strike, having not been seen since the attack despite a statement, reportedly written by the new leader, being read out on state television.

In an update on Tuesday, Israel's Minister of Defence Israel Katz said the strike had taken place overnight.

Larijani was appointed in August 2025 by President Masoud Pezeshkian as secretary of the SNSC and as the representative of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the council.

Last week's appearance at the rally by Larijani marked one of the most high-profile public appearances by an Iranian official since airstrikes on the nation began on February 28.

It comes as the war entered its 14th day, with Iran relying more heavily on remote drones in recent days following the gradual decimation of its naval fleet.