Zürcher Nachrichten - 'Decimated'? The Iranian leaders killed in Israeli-US war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Iran is "being decimated" while the Israeli army on its Persian-language X account described the Iranian leadership as a "house of cards that is collapsing".

But several key figures have survived and the Islamic republic has shown resilience in rapidly replacing killed leaders and also keeping up the war against the US and Israel.

In the latest such attack, the spokesman of the Revolutionary Guards Ali Mohammad Naini was killed in a US-Israel strike at dawn on Friday, according to the force.

Here is a recap of the some of the key figures killed so far in the war:

- Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Khamenei, Iran's number one since 1989, was killed in the first hour of the war on February 28 in a strike on a meeting of senior officials in Tehran that also left his daughter-in-law, daughter and at least one grandchild dead, according to reports.

His low-profile son Mojtaba survived -- although reportedly with injuries -- and took over as supreme leader.

He has yet to make a public appearance. Ali Khamenei has yet to be buried although Mojtaba has said in a written statement he saw the body.

- National security council chief Ali Larijani

The killing of Larijani, a non-cleric but a pillar of the system for decades, was likely the biggest loss to the Islamic republic after the death of Ali Khamenei.

Larijani was killed on March 17 in an Israeli strike, reportedly in the Tehran region and which also killed family members.

The week earlier, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.

- Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour

Pakpour, previously head of the Guards' ground forces, only headed the force whose task it is to keep the revolution alive since June 2025 when previous commander-in-chief Hossein Salami was killed in Israel's 12-day war against Iran.

He was killed on the first day of the war and has been replaced by former interior and defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.

- Advisor to the supreme leader Ali Shamkhani

Shamkhani, a mainstay of the Islamic republic's armed forces since the 1980s, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.

He had been severely wounded, and initially reported dead, in a strike during Israel's June war against Iran but later re-emerged. He was given a public funeral in Tehran's Tajrish Square and reportedly buried without a head.

- Intelligence Minister Esmael Khatib

A cleric, Khatib was killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran early on March 18. Minister of intelligence since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.

- Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Nasirzadeh had served as defence minister since 2024. He was also killed in a strike on the first day of the war.

- Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani

Soleimani headed the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group that is a branch of the Revolutionary Guards and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests. He was killed in an airstrike on March 17.

- Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini

Naini was killed at dawn Friday in what the Guards described as a "cowardly" attack by the United States and Israel.

Just before his death was confirmed the Fars news agency issued a statement quoting Naini as saying Iran's missile production deserved a "perfect score" and was continuing despite the war.

- Head of military office of supreme leader Mohammad Shirazi

Killed on the opening day of the war, Shirazi had the crucial job of coordinating between the various branches of the Iranian security forces at the office of supreme leader.

- Armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi

Mousavi, killed on the first day of the war, had only taken up his post in June 2025 following the death of his predecessor Mohammad Bagheri in the 12-day war.

R.Schmid--NZN