Iran’s power structure
Since former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, several other senior officials and members of the late Ayatollah’s inner circle have been targeted, drastically changing the country’s lines of leadership.
Ali Larijani, one of Iran’s most senior security officials and a close associate of the late Supreme Leader, was killed on March 17. Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Basij force—a plain-clothes militia unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps—was killed the same day.
The IDF confirmed it had killed Esmaeil Khatib, Iran’s Intelligence Minister, the following day.
Larijani’s successor, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, was announced Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Ayatollah, was confirmed as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on March 8. Trump has been dismissive of Mojtaba’s appointment, having previously referred to him as an “unacceptable” choice.