Iran has confirmed the death of security chief Ali Larijani, who served as its Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, after Israel earlier claimed it killed him in targeted attacks.
In a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news, the country’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday, March 18, confirmed the assassination of Larijani.
“After a lifetime of striving for the elevation of Iran and the Islamic Revolution, he finally reached his long-cherished wish, answered the call of truth, and proudly attained the blessed rank of martyrdom in the service front line,” a statement from the council carried by Mehr reads.
According to the statement, Ali Larijani was killed on Tuesday morning, along with his son and his assistant, in an Israeli attack. The attack was around 3:30 in the morning Tehran time [00:00 GMT].
A message posted on the official X account of the senior Iranian figure later also declared that he has been “martyred.”
“A servant of Allah has been martyred by his Lord,” the post read, addressing the Iranian public and the wider Muslim world.
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The statement, written in a religious tone, did not provide further details or explicitly confirm the circumstances surrounding the reported death.
Confusion after earlier denial signals around Larijani
The announcement comes after uncertainty over Larijani’s fate following earlier claims by Israel that he had been killed in a targeted strike.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz earlier on Tuesday said that Larijani was among senior figures eliminated in recent attacks, but Tehran had not officially confirmed the claim at the time.
Hours before the confirmation, a handwritten message attributed to Larijani had surfaced, honoring Iranian naval personnel killed in recent attacks—raising questions about whether he was still alive at that point.
The development also follows comments by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said new strikes had killed two of Iran’s most powerful figures.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump described one of the individuals as “their actual top,” while another was allegedly responsible for internal repression.
“It’s an evil group,” Trump said, without naming the individuals.
While Trump did not explicitly identify Larijani, his remarks came shortly after Israeli officials linked the strikes to the Iranian security leadership.
Key figure in Iran’s power structure
Born in Najaf in 1958, Larijani rose through the ranks after the Islamic Revolution, serving as culture minister, head of state broadcasting, and later as speaker of parliament for over a decade.
He also played a central role as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, helping shape Tehran’s engagement with global powers, including during the 2015 nuclear agreement.
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However, his stance had hardened significantly as tensions escalated between Iran, the United States, and Israel.
Larijani had this month issued a message urging Muslim-majority nations to unite behind Iran, warning that failure to do so undermined regional solidarity.
He insisted that Iran would not back down in its confrontation with the United States and Israel, and defended Tehran’s military posture despite criticism from neighboring states.
“The unity of the Islamic nation… is capable of guaranteeing security, progress and independence,” he said.
Ali Larijani, on Saturday, March 7, had also warned that Tehran will pursue retaliation relentlessly, stating that Trump would not escape punishment.
“We won’t let Trump off the hook; he must pay the price—he’s martyred our leader and our people. This isn’t a simple matter; we won’t let it go until we retaliate in kind,” he said.
The security chief further emphasized that revenge for the killing of their leader would remain a central objective for the country.
