Iran says top military chief killed in Tehran strike and vows 'terrible blows'
Mar 1st 2026
Iranian state TV says the Armed Forces chief and other senior figures died after an early Saturday strike on a Tehran security meeting; Tehran has named temporary leaders and threatened strong retaliation while the U.S. says it would hit back with unprecedented force.
- Iranian state television confirmed on Sunday that Armed Forces Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi was killed in a strike on a Tehran meeting of senior officials.
- State media said Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Pakpour, adviser Ali Shamkhani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh were also killed in the same attack.
- Iran said the strike occurred at 8:10 a.m. Saturday when the IDF hit multiple Tehran locations where leaders had convened.
- Tehran named a temporary three member leadership council including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei plus a Guardian Council representative.
- Iranian officials warned of major retaliation against Israel and the United States, calling the attack a crossing of a red line.
- The New York Times reported that intelligence about the meeting allowed Israel to decapitate much of Iran's leadership and that planners shifted the strike from night to morning after learning the gathering was in daylight.
- U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that if Iran attacks American targets, the United States will respond with a force that has never been seen before.