Iran is facing one of the most dramatic leadership crises in recent history. After a series of targeted strikes by Israel and the United States, the country has lost several top leaders in quick succession. Israeli forces recently killed Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in an airstrike. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has stayed out of public view, raising urgent questions about who is really running the country.
Top Leadership Figures Taken Out
The recent killings are part of a broader effort to target Iran’s top leadership. Ali Larijani, a key civilian leader and link between moderates and hardliners, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary forces, also died in the same attack.
These strikes follow the February 28 killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Other high-ranking officials lost include Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran’s Defence Council; General Mohammad Pakpour, IRGC commander; Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh; and Mohammad Shirazi, chief of Khamenei’s Military Bureau. Israeli forces eliminated top nuclear and intelligence figures, including Reza Mozafari-Nia and Salah Asadi.
Top Iranian strategist Ali Larijani reported killed in latest Israeli military operations
In response to Larijani’s death, Iran’s army chief Amir Hatami warned of a ‘decisive and regrettable’ retaliation. Analysts observe a clear pattern: attackers are removing officials with political influence or moderate ties, while hardline leaders retain power, consolidating control over Iran’s government and military.
Who Is Running Iran Now?
With the deaths of key leaders and Mojtaba Khamenei missing from public view, Iran is operating under a highly unusual power structure. Mojtaba, named Supreme Leader, has not appeared publicly, and observers still do not know his role in decision-making. Last week, crowds saw Larijani walking among supporters at a pro-government rally, highlighting the gap left by Mojtaba’s absence.
Meanwhile, an emergency council formed to take over the duties of the late Supreme Leader. This council reportedly includes Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, and a senior cleric from the Guardian Council.
Leaked audio claims Mojtaba Khamenei escaped airstrike that killed Ali Khamenei by minutes
Alongside this, ultra-conservative clerics and hardliner Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf have taken over many civilian leadership responsibilities. Of all these leaders, only Larijani had connections to the moderate former president Hassan Rouhani, making his death a significant shift toward hardline control.
Experts note that while these changes are dramatic, Iran’s governance structures continue to function. Alan Eyre, a former U.S. negotiator of the Iran nuclear deal, stated that “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Beit-e Rahbari, which was created by the late Ayatollah Khamenei, remain in control. Larijani’s death is significant, but the elites will appoint someone else, and Iran’s policies in the war will continue largely unchanged.”
Iran’s Military Resilience
Even after losing several top leaders, Iran’s military continues to function in extreme circumstances. Iran relies on its ‘mosaic defence’ doctrine, a decentralized strategy that lets regional military units operate independently when senior commanders die or communication breaks down.
The mosaic system integrates the IRGC, the regular army, and the Basij paramilitary forces, allowing them to operate simultaneously while loosely coordinating with one another. It emphasizes endurance rather than rapid victories, turning any conflict into a prolonged struggle for opponents. This strategy also relies heavily on asymmetric warfare, including drone strikes, missile attacks, and proxy forces in regional conflicts.
How Mohammad Ali Jafari designed the Mosaic defence strategy used by Iran’s military
The doctrine ensures that even if top leaders are eliminated, the operational capacity of Iran’s military remains intact. This resilience means that the country can continue its military campaigns and strategic operations despite the recent losses of leaders like Larijani and Soleimani.
In the current situation, with Mojtaba Khamenei missing from public view and several senior leaders killed, Iran is running on a mix of emergency councils, hardline decision-makers, and a robust decentralized military structure. The exact chain of command is unclear, and the country is navigating an unprecedented moment of uncertainty and rapid leadership turnover.