Iran confirms security chief Larijani killed as Israel vows to ‘neutralise’ supreme leader

2026.03.18 01:50 Iranian security chief Ali Larijani had walked openly with crowds at a pro-government rally last week in Tehran. Photo: Ali Larijani via X/Reuters Iran confirmed on Tuesday the death of its powerful national security chief, after Israel said he was killed in an air strike and vowed to hunt down and “neutralise” Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The death of Ali Larijani represents a major blow to Iran, whose long-serving leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed less than three weeks ago in US-Israeli strikes that ignited the war in the Middle East. The assassination came as Iran’s parliament speaker vowed that shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its pre-war norm, and US President Donald Trump blasted allies for rebuffing his call to help escort oil tankers through the blockaded waterway. Larijani, who was close to the late ayatollah, had helped lead Iran’s retaliatory campaign in the war. “After a lifetime of struggle for the advancement of Iran and of the Islamic Revolution, he ultimately attained his long-held aspiration, answered the divine call, and honourably achieved the sweet grace of martyrdom in the trench of service,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced. Israel’s military vowed it would also eliminate Iran’s new leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late ayatollah who took power after his father’s death on February 28. “We don’t know about Mojtaba Khamenei, we don’t hear him, we don’t see him, but I can tell you one thing: we will track him down, find him, and neutralise him,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told reporters. In a televised statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Larijani as “the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, which is the gang of gangsters that actually runs Iran”. He said the overthrow of Iran’s authorities by the people “will not happen all at once, it will not happen easily. But if we persist in this - we will give them a chance to ta

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