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Sharjah 24
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Sharjah 24
Iran appoints new Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division, Irna said. He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers -- Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri -- in an Israeli strike. Pakpour had himself been recently appointed after Israel killed his predecessor Hossein Salami in a strike on June 13. "During the years that our martyred commanders Kazemi and Mohaqeq led the IRGC Intelligence, we witnessed significant growth in all aspects of intelligence within the IRGC," said Pakpour. Israel launched air strikes on nuclear and military sites in Iran last week, claiming that its arch enemy was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies. Israel killed several top Iranian officials, prompting a counter-attack by Iran, which on Thursday hit an Israeli hospital. Upon his appointment by Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei last Friday, Pakpour threatened to open "the gates of hell" in retaliation for Israel's attacks. Top Israeli figures have openly talked about killing Khamenei.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Who is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's reclusive Supreme Leader?
The cleric has ruled for more than three decades, spearheading a policy of backing proxy groups to wield influence across the Middle East NYT As the conflict between Israel and Iran has intensified, one central character has remained out of the public eye: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's reclusive supreme leader. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out targeting Ayatollah Khamenei, who has led Iran for more than three decades. Netanyahu told ABC News on Monday that any strike on Iran's supreme leader would not kindle a wider war but could instead prove decisive. 'It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict,' he said. And President Trump on Tuesday threatened the ayatollah in a social media post, saying 'we know exactly where' he is. But he added that 'we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least for now.' Killing foreign leaders is against the law in the United States. He added, 'Our patience is growing thin.' Here is a closer look at Ayatollah Khamenei, his rise to power and his role in the deepening confrontation with Israel. From revolutionary aide to supreme leader Born in 1939 into a religious family of modest means in Mashhad, a pilgrimage city in eastern Iran, Khamenei came of age in the years leading up to the 1979 revolution that overthrew the shah. He was imprisoned repeatedly by the security services of the US-backed autocrat Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and he rose through the ranks of the religious opposition as a close ally of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the revolution and founded the Islamic Republic of Iran. Khamenei quickly emerged as one of the most trusted lieutenants in the new Iranian regime, and he was president for much of the 1980s. When Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989, Khamenei, by that time an ayatollah himself, was elevated to Iran's supreme leader. He set about consolidating control of the country's political, military and security apparatus, and cracking down on dissent to shore up his position as the ultimate decision maker. Absolute power under Iran's theocratic system As Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei sits above all other branches of government. He appoints the heads of the judiciary, state media and key security agencies, and he holds final authority over who can run for president. Ayatollah Khamenei also controls foreign and military policy, overseeing the Revolutionary Guards Corps, which defends Iran's Islamic system and sits apart from the rest of the military, and the powerful Quds Force, which directs Iran's foreign operations across the west asia. His authority extends to the nuclear program, placing him at the center of Iran's escalating confrontation with Israel. An architect of Iran's regional strategy. For decades, Ayatollah Khamenei has been at the heart of Iran's hard-line foreign policy, positioning the country as a counterweight to American, Israeli and Saudi influence across the west asia. Under his leadership, Iran has trained, armed and funded a network of proxy forces stretching from Lebanon to Yemen, allowing Tehran to project power and confront its rivals without provoking a war on Iranian soil. But that strategy unraveled on Friday, when Israel launched its largest-ever attack against Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites and killing an array of senior officials. Israel said the military campaign was an effort to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iranian officials have publicly said that their country's nuclear program is intended for civilian uses only and have denied that it is building a bomb; Ayatollah Khamenei issued a religious ruling, or fatwa, in 2003 declaring nuclear weapons forbidden under Islam. But Israel and Western governments have long accused Tehran of seeking the capability to build a bomb if it so chooses. Under guard, and under threat Ayatollah Khamenei's movements are tightly controlled and his whereabouts rarely disclosed. His personal security is overseen by an elite Revolutionary Guards unit that reports directly to his office, according to analysts. He was reportedly moved last week to a secret location where he could remain in contact with the military. That follows similar reports last year, when the ayatollah was also moved to a safe location a day after the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, who led the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and was a longtime ally. In recent days, Israel has killed a number of senior officials in Iran, including the country's top military commanders and nuclear scientists. But a direct attack on Ayatollah Khamenei himself would represent an extraordinary escalation of the current conflict. Such a move could have unpredictable and far-reaching consequences across the west asia.
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Israel says killing Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei ‘not off limits' as strikes and missile attacks rage on
Iran-Israel conflict: Following the killing of Iran's highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps and a former national security chief under Operation Rising Lion, Israeli officials have now refused to rule out the possibility of assassinating Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as tensions between the two nations continue to simmer. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, a top Israeli official said the assassination of Iran's top leader is 'not off limits." The official told the outlet that the conflict 'would only end either with Iran voluntarily dismantling its nuclear program or Israel making it impossible for Tehran to reconstitute it." Channel 12 also quoted a senior Israeli political source as saying the possibility cannot be ruled out. 'Israel is not ruling out the possibility of eliminating Ali Khamenei, but it depends on many factors,' the source said. The Israeli official's message about Ayatollah Khamenei not being 'off limits' comes after Iran and Israel exchanged missiles and airstrikes on Saturday, following a large-scale Israeli aerial assault the previous day. Israel stated that the strikes were aimed at halting Iran's alleged efforts to develop an atomic weapon. Portraits of Iranian military generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel's June 13 attack are displayed above a road, as a plume of heavy smoke and fire rise over an oil refinery in southern Tehran, after it was hit in an overnight Israeli strike, on June 15, 2025. Iran fired a fresh barrage of missiles at Israel, state television announced early on June 15, as the rivals exchanged fire for a third day. Explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below, after Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel. On Sunday, Iran's health ministry said that majority of injured and killed in Israeli strikes over past days are civilians, mainly women and children, reported Reuters. Rescue personnel work at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Bat Yam, Israel, June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun One Iranian told AFP that she had "never been in a situation like this" after an Iranian missile hit her home in central Israel early Sunday. Adding to the latest string of warnings by Israel, the nation's defence minister had earlier warned that 'Tehran will burn' if Iran continues launching missile attacks on Israel. "If (Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front — Tehran will burn,' the Associated Press quoted Israel's defense minister Katz as saying. Iran and Israel — decade-longe enemies have been locked in shadow conflict that shaped Middle Eastern geopolitics. Though both countries have avoided a full-blown war, the nations have frequently targeted each other through covert operations and, in Iran's case, via proxy groups. The escalation happened after Israel engaged in a war with Hamas, impounding Gaza and Palestinians in the process.
Ya Libnan
6 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israeli strikes kill some of Iran's most powerful men, including Khamanei's top advisor Shamkhani
Photo: Hossein Salami, Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Bagheri Getty Images Iran's highest-ranking military officer, the head of its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps and its air force and a former national security chief have all been killed in Israel's unprecedented Operation Rising Lion . Their deaths will send shockwaves through the nation's military establishment and could seriously hamper the Islamic Republic's ability to respond to Israel's attacks. Here's what you need to know about them. As the head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami, was one of the most powerful men in Iran, overseeing its most potent military arm and reporting directly to its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Born in 1960, according to a US sanctions docket, Salami had headed the secretive and IRGC since 2019. The position saw him helming one of the most powerful tools wielded by the Iranian state, which has been instrumental in crushing dissent at home and projecting Iran's power abroad. Analysts say the IRGC funds and supports a vast network of militias across the region which it uses to strike at US and other military personnel across the Middle East. The IRGC is also believed to provide materials and support to Yemen's Houthis, enabling the group to strike international shipping in the Red Sea and launch missiles and drones at Israel. Salami was at the helm of the IRGC when Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in April and October last year, in the first direct strikes by Iran on Israeli territory. In footage released by Iranian state media in January, Salami was seen inspecting what the media said was an underground military facility that had played a role in those attacks. Wearing a green military uniform and short beard, Salami took the salute of soldiers in the cavernous underground complex and walked over the United States and Israel flags on the ground. The site was now manufacturing 'new special missiles,' semi-official Iranian media outlet Mehr News reported. Salami was head of the IRGC when it shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet shortly after it took off from Tehran's international airport, killing all 176 people on board. An unnamed IRGC commander of the Tor M1 surface-to-air missile defense system that shot down the plane was sentenced to 13 years in prison, according to Iran's Mehr news outlet. CNN's security analyst Beth Sanner said that removing Salami is akin to taking out the US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff: 'You can imagine what Americans would do,' she said. Since 2016 Mohammad Bagheri had served as the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, which IISS estimated could call on more than 500,000 active personnel. The General Staff is 'the most senior military body in Iran, which implements policy and monitors and coordinates activities within the armed forces', according to a US Treasury document laying out sanctions against Bagheri in 2019. Bagheri was sanctioned along with nine others close to Ayatollah Khamenei 'who have for decades oppressed the Iranian people, exported terrorism, and advanced destabilizing policies around the world,' the document said. Photos published by Iran's Tasnim news outlet showed him allegedly meeting with Iranian troops fighting on the ground alongside government forces in Syria in 2017. In April Bagheri met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud in Tehran, in a rare visit by a senior Saudi royal to the Islamic Republic. The next month Reuters reported that during the meeting the Saudi defense minister had delivered a warning to Bagheri: take President Donald Trump's offer to negotiate a nuclear agreement seriously because it presents a way to avoid the risk of war with Israel. Ali Shamkhani was a close aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and represented Tehran at talks which sealed a landmark agreement to restore diplomatic ties with foe Saudi Arabia. Iranian state TV network IRINN confirmed his death following Israel's unprecedented strikes on Friday. Shamkhani served as the country's top national security official for a decade from 2013, and before that served in a number of important roles, including in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the ministry of defense. He had been a rising star of Iranian diplomacy , well known in foreign-policy circles in Washington and Europe. Shamkhani represented Iran in China-brokered talks with Saudi officials that led to the two countries agreeing to re-establish diplomatic ties after years of hostility. But he was abruptly replaced in mid-2023. The former national security chief was ambitious, experts say, and had an extensive portfolio. He ran for president in 2001 to held key posts in the IRGC and the defense ministry. Some analysts suggested at the time that Khamenei may have thought him too ambitious. Still, he remained a close aide to the supreme leader, and gave advice as Iran re-entered nuclear talks with the administration of US President Donald Trump. In April, days before talks with the US, he warned Tehran could expel UN nuclear inspectors and cease cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if it feels under threat. The death of Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Air Force, is a major blow to Tehran. Hajizadeh headed the country's missile program, which was involved in defending the country's air space and carrying out attacks overseas. Hajizadeh was the mastermind of Iran's previous attack on Israel in April 2024 as well as the missile attack on a US base in Iraq in 2020. The Israeli military said Hajizadeh was killed alongside other senior air force leaders in a strike as they gathered at an underground command center. CNN
NDTV
13-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
The Iranian Commanders And Nuclear Scientists Killed In Israeli Strikes
Dubai: Iran said several top commanders and six nuclear scientists were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders to prevent Tehran from developing an atomic weapon. Here is a list of the commanders and scientists who were killed: Hossein Salami: Salami was commander-in-chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, or IRGC. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Salami, who was born in 1960, as head of the IRGC in 2019. Mohammad Bagheri: A former IRGC commander, Major General Bagheri was chief of staff of Iran's armed forces from 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the Guards during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Gholamali Rashid: Major General Rashid was head of the IRGC's Khatam al Anbia headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and fought for Iran during the 1980s war with Iraq. Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani: Abbasi, a nuclear scientist, served as head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013. A hardliner, Abbasi was a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi: Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist, was head of Iran's Islamic Azad University in Tehran. Four other scientists killed in Friday's strikes are Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi and Motalibizadeh. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
