Iran’s defence minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammed Pakpour were killed in US-Israel strikes on Saturday, Reuters reported three sources familiar with the matter said.
Nasirzadeh was the deputy of chief of staff for the Iranian armed forces before taking charge as the minister of defence. The minister reportedly began his military carrier as a fighter pilot.
US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday, targeting its top leaders and sparking a deadly chain raction with Tehran responding with missiles fired at Israel and neighbouring Gulf countries housing US bases. Track latest in Middle East conflict here
US President Donald Trump said the strikes were aimed at ending a security threat to the United States and ensuring Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon.
He called on Iranian security forces to lay down their weapons and invited Iranians to topple their government once the bombing ended.
What were first reported to be surprise strikes by Israel launched on Iran were later confirmed to be a joint military action by US President Donald Trump who had been threatening Tehran of intervention since anti-government protests began spreading there since late December 2025.
Iran responded to the strikes by launching missiles at Israel and at several Gulf Arab allies of the United States that host American bases. Explosions, part of the Iranian retaliation, were heard in UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait among other places.
An Israeli official, cited in a Reuters report, said Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were both targeted but the result of the strikes was not clear
. A source with knowledge of the matter had earlier told Reuters that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.
An Iranian source close to the establishment said several senior commanders in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and political officials had been killed. Iranian state media said 40 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school. Reuters could not independently confirm the reports.