High-Ranking Iran's Commanders And Scientists Among Dead In Israeli Strikes

14/06/2025

TEHRAN, June 14: Iran has confirmed the deaths of several high-ranking military commanders and nuclear scientists following a series of Israeli airstrikes on Friday that targeted key military and nuclear sites across the country. The strikes, which reportedly aimed to disrupt Tehran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons, resulted in the deaths of at least 20 senior figures, including the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and prominent officials linked to Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

According to regional sources cited by Reuters, among those killed were:

Hossein Salami – Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2019. Born in 1960, Salami was a central figure in Iran's military establishment.

Mohammad Bagheri – Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and a former IRGC commander. Bagheri joined the Guards during the Iran-Iraq War and had served in the post since 2016.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh – Commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force and a key figure in Iran’s missile program. He was widely seen as responsible for orchestrating aerial threats against Israel. Hajizadeh also admitted responsibility for the accidental downing of a Ukrainian airliner in 2020.

Gholamali Rashid – Major General and head of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters. He previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces and was a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war.

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani – A senior nuclear physicist and former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (2011–2013). Known for his hardline views, Abbasi also served as a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi – A nuclear scientist and president of Islamic Azad University in Tehran, Tehranchi was a prominent figure in Iran’s academic and nuclear research community.

In addition, four other scientists were reported killed in the attacks: Abdolhamid Manouchehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari, Amirhossein Feghi, and Motalibizadeh.

The unprecedented loss of top leadership figures marks a major escalation in the ongoing shadow war between Israel and Iran and is expected to have far-reaching implications for the region’s security and nuclear diplomacy.