Strikes on Tehran decimated Khamenei’s inner circle: Who exactly were they?

The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has sparked turmoil inside and outside Iran. But the airstrikes by US and Israel on his compound also took out a slew of his military chiefs and multiple members of his familial network. Here’s a look at who was killed. Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh Nasirzadeh became defence minister in 2024 after serving in leadership roles in Iran’s army and air force and was among the Iranian ministers who threatened retaliatory strikes on US bases in the Middle East, including before last June’s US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Military vanguard: General Mohammad Pakpour and Abdolrahim Mousavi One of the most important figures in this regime, Gen Mohammad Pakpour was the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He was appointed to this post after his predecessor was killed in the 12-Day War in June 2025. Pakpour was the Khamenei regime’s ideological enforcement official and likely involved with Iran’s allied militant groups across the Middle-East, such as the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. with Pakpour Also at the compound was the Iranian Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi. Mousavi’s death has been confirmed by both the Associated Press and Iranian state TV. Chief security advisor: Ali Shamkhani Ali Shamkhani was the regime’s Defence Council Secretary and, more importantly, Khamenei’s primary security advisor. Shamkhani was a midpoint between state ideologues (like the Supreme Leader and ayatollahs) and the military wing. He was at the centre of Iranian policymaking during ⁠its most testing military confrontations and diplomatic endeavours. Previously the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), he was elevated to Khamenei’s Expediency Discernment council in 2023 and was directly behind the country’s nuclear enrichment program, deciding the limits of their uranium enrichment and key diplomatic advisor. In June 2025, he survived a strike on his Tehran home. This time, he was not so lucky. The state-run IRNA agency confirmed his death. Familial network Finally, the obliteration of Khamenei’s family within his highly secured residential compound was confirmed by the IRGC-linked Fars News Agency. The casualties include Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law Mesbah al-Hoda Bagheri Kani, daughter-in-law, and grandchild. Khamenei’s governance model utilised his tightly knit, informal familial network that functioned as a shadow state, ensuring loyalty through surveillance across government sectors. Ultimately, these joint strikes have created a leadership vacuum in Iran and plunged it into uncertainty. Read our detailed explainer here on what’s next for Iran — and the world.