People hold up portraits of Iran's slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the mass funeral of Saad Dawai, commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations for Anbar province, and other victims, in Baghdad, March 24, 2026. (Credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP)
Since the start of the war, U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran have killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a whole echelon of the political and military elite in the Islamic Republic.
U.S. 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 U.S. and Israel.
In the latest fatality, Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the naval force of the Revolutionary Guard, 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 Guard said.
Here is a recap of some of the key figures killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes 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 Feb. 28 in an Israeli 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.
Khamenei has yet to be buried, although Mojtaba has said in a written statement he saw the body.
Security chief Ali Larijani
The killing of Larijani, who, despite not being a cleric, was 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, which also killed family members.
The previous week, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.
Revolutionary Guard chief Mohammad Pakpour
Pakpour, previously head of the Guard's ground forces, took over as commander-in-chief in June 2025 after his predecessor Hossein Salami was killed in Israel's 12-day war against Iran.
He was killed by a strike on the first day of the war and has been replaced by former interior and defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.
Guard naval chief Alireza Tangsiri
A veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Tangsiri has been one of the longest-serving senior figures in the Revolutionary Guard, serving as head of its navy since 2018 and one of its highest-profile faces within the Islamic Republic.
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."
Adviser Ali Shamkhani
Shamkhani, a mainstay of the Islamic Republic's armed forces since the 1980s, was killed in a airstrike on the first day of the war.
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.
Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib
A cleric, Khatib, was killed by a strike in Tehran early on March 18. As Iran's intelligence minister since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.
Defense 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 an 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 Guard and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests. He was killed in an airstrike on March 17.
Guard spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini
Naini was killed at dawn Friday in what the Guard 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 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 the supreme leader.
Armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi
Mousavi, killed on the first day of the war, had only taken up his post, a senior position which coordinates between the Guard and the regular army, in June 2025, following the death of his predecessor Mohammad Bagheri in the 12-day war.
