Who’s Been Killed? Job Openings in the Iranian Regime

President Trump is creating job openings across Iran. These are highly paid executive positions, top spots in the regime. However, some of these guys got their jobs because their predecessors had been killed in the last six months, so these jobs come with a bit of assassination risk. But until then, the benefits are great: forty virgins, generous per diem, and a full dental package.

The joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, codenamed Operation Epic Fury by the United States and Operation Roaring Lion by Israel, began on February 28, 2026. In its opening salvos, U.S. intelligence and military sources reported approximately 40 to 49 senior Iranian officials killed. The strikes targeted leadership compounds in Tehran and other cities, effectively decapitating Iran’s military and political command structure. The following are the most prominent confirmed deaths.

Supreme Leadership
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader for 36 years, was killed on February 28 in a strike on his office and compound in central Tehran. Iranian state media confirmed his death on March 1. His daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and daughter-in-law were also killed in the same strike. His wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, died from her injuries on March 2.

Military Command
Several senior military commanders were killed simultaneously, suggesting they had gathered at a common command site. Notably, this was the second successive generation of Iranian military leadership to be eliminated. IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour had only been appointed in June 2025 after Israel killed his predecessor, Hossein Salami, in the Twelve-Day War. Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi had similarly replaced Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed in that same earlier conflict.

Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour — Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC. Appointed June 13, 2025, he was the second IRGC commander killed by Israel in under a year.

Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi — Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces. Iranian state media confirmed his death on March 1. He had been sanctioned by the United States, the EU, the UK, and Australia for human-rights abuses, including ordering troops to fire on protesters in 2019.

Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh — Defense Minister. He joined Iran’s air force at 19, flew F-14s in the Iran-Iraq War, and served as Air Force commander from 2018 to 2021 before being appointed defense minister in 2024.

Adm. Ali Shamkhani — Secretary of the Defense Council and former head of the Supreme National Security Council, a post he held for a decade. He had survived an Israeli strike in June 2025 after being pulled from the rubble of his home. At the time of his death, he was overseeing Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the United States, telling reporters just days before his death that “an immediate agreement is within reach.”

Salah Asadi — Head of intelligence for Iran’s military emergency command.
Mohammad Shirazi — Head of the military office of the Supreme Leader.

Intelligence
Four senior IRGC intelligence commanders were confirmed killed: Javad Pourhossein (head of foreign intelligence), Mohammad-Reza Bajestani (head of security), Ali Kheirandish (head of counterterrorism), and Saeed Ehya Hamidi (adviser on the war with Israel). Additional reports indicate that four unnamed top officials from the Ministry of Intelligence were also killed.

Defense Research
Hossein Jabal Amelian, head of Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), and Reza Mozaffari Nia, the former SPND head, were both confirmed killed by the IDF.

In addition to so many top leaders being killed, Iran has been faced with a succession crisis.

Following Khamenei’s death, Article 111 of Iran’s constitution triggered the formation of a three-member Interim Leadership Council consisting of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Guardian Council cleric Alireza Arafi. The council holds transitional authority while the 88-member Assembly of Experts selects a permanent successor.

That process has been directly targeted. On March 3, the IDF struck the Assembly of Experts building in Qom while the body was reportedly convening to vote on a successor. An Israeli defense official confirmed the intent: “We wanted to prevent them from picking a new supreme leader.” Israeli sources reported that the council secretary and officials responsible for counting votes were killed, and the ballot box was destroyed. Iran’s state media disputed whether members were present, saying the building had been evacuated before the strike. The Assembly of Experts compound in Tehran had also been targeted the previous day.

As of March 6, no new Supreme Leader has been chosen. The leading reported candidate is Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the late Supreme Leader, described by Israeli and Western media as the frontrunner. He is a hardline cleric with deep ties to the IRGC who has never held elected office. His mother, wife, and one sister were killed in the same strikes; he was reportedly not present.

President Trump has publicly stated that Khamenei’s son is “unacceptable” to him. Other names in circulation include Alireza Arafi and Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani.

Trump summarized the campaign’s leadership impact succinctly: “The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates.”

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