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'Regime change'? The Iranian leaders killed in Israeli-US war Paris, France, March 30 (AFP) Mar 30, 2026 Since the start of the war, US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei and a whole echelon of the political and military elite in the Islamic republic. US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the war had achieved "regime change" and that "we're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before". 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 fatality, Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the naval force of the Revolutionary Guards who Israel had said was responsible for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, died of his wounds from an Israeli strike on Thursday, the Guards said. Here is a recap of the some of the key figures killed so far in the war:
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.
Larijani was killed on March 17 in an Israeli strike, reportedly in the Tehran region and which also killed family members. The previous week, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.
He was killed on the first day of the war and has been replaced by former interior and defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.
Israel's defence minister described him as the "man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz".
He was given a public funeral in Tehran's Tajrish Square and reportedly buried without his head. He had been severely wounded, and initially reported dead, in a strike during Israel's June war against Iran but later re-emerged.
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.
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