Irans security chief Ali Larijani assassinated in USIsraeli bombardment
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani assassinated in US-Israeli bombardment
TEHRAN - The Secretary of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, was assassinated by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran, according to an IRIB report published Tuesday night.
Larijani was murdered alongside his son, Morteza Larijani. It is not clear if his son held an official position, but Persian media is now describing him as an "anonymous scientist."
Larijani was a seasoned Iranian politician. He held many important positions during his career, including Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and head of Iran’s national television network, IRIB. His latest tenure as Iran's security chief lasted for almost 9 months.
Larijani took part in public demonstrations against U.S.-Israeli aggression in recent days despite knowing that he was on the two regimes' target list. Last week, the U.S. State Department issued a notice saying it could reward up to 10 million dollars to anyone who provides information on the whereabouts of top Iranian officials, including Larijani. Larijani responded to the notice in a post on X, where he said dying for his country would be his honor.
Western media has been circulating claims about Iranian officials hiding in underground bunkers since the first U.S.-Israeli war against Iran in June. Before the two regimes assassinated the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in their opening strikes in late February, they had been claiming that he had either fled to Russia or was hiding in a bunker 40 meters underground, and that top officials were only allowed to visit him with eye covers on. Ayatollah Khamenei was murdered in his office, which he had been using for over 30 years and whose location was public information.
The U.S. and Israel appear to believe that by assassinating Iran's top officials, they would be able to force the Islamic Republic’s collapse. Trump allegedly believed that by assassinating Ayatollah Khamenei, the country would collapse within 48 hours. It took Iran's Assembly of Experts nine days to choose Ayatollah Khamenei's son, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, to succeed him, but neither Iran's military nor its administrative institutions showed any signs of decline despite nonstop U.S.-Israeli bombardment.
Larijani was considered to be among Iran's moderate politicians who favored negotiations with the U.S. and conciliatory relations with Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. He is expected to be succeeded by a more conservative figure.
source: tehrantimes.com