Over the course of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, waves of airstrikes killed an entire echelon of the Islamic republic’s political and military elite, starting with supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

President Donald Trump had claimed in March that the campaign had achieved “regime change”, but Iran showed resilience in rapidly replacing killed leaders and keeping up the war against the U.S. and Israel.

West Asia LIVE updates

With Washington and Tehran agreeing on a deal announced on Monday (June 15, 2026) to halt the conflict, here is a recap of the some of the key figures killed in the war:

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Khamenei, Iran’s number one since 1989, was killed in the first hour of the war on February 28 in a strike on a meeting of senior officials in Tehran that also left his daughter-in-law, daughter and at least one grandchild dead, according to reports.

His low-profile son Mojtaba survived — although reportedly with injuries — and took over as supreme leader. He has yet to make a public appearance.

Ali Khamenei has yet to be buried, with state media reporting on Saturday (June 13, 2026) that his funeral will take place on July 9 in his hometown, the northeastern city of Mashhad, following three days of funeral ceremonies in Tehran and another in the holy city of Qom.

Security chief Ali Larijani

The killing of Larijani, who despite not being a cleric was a pillar of the system for decades, was likely the biggest loss to the Islamic republic after the death of Ali Khamenei.

Larijani was killed on March 17 in an Israeli strike, reportedly in the Tehran region and which also killed family members.

The previous week, he had defiantly walked in public in Tehran at a pro-government rally.

Revolutionary Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour

Pakpour, previously head of the Guards’ ground forces, took over as commander-in-chief in June 2025 after his predecessor Hossein Salami was killed in Israel’s 12-day war against Iran.

He was killed on the first day of the war and has been replaced by former interior and defence minister Ahmad Vahidi.

Guards naval chief Alireza Tangsiri

A veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Tangsiri was one of the longest-serving senior figures in the Revolutionary Guards as the head of its navy since 2018 and one of its highest-profile faces within the Islamic republic.

Israel’s Defence Minister described him as the “man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz”.

Adviser Ali Shamkhani

Shamkhani, a mainstay of the Islamic republic’s armed forces since the 1980s, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war.

He was given a public funeral in Tehran’s Tajrish Square.

He had been severely wounded, and initially reported dead, in a strike during Israel’s June war against Iran but later re-emerged.

Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib

A cleric, Khatib was killed by an Israeli strike in Tehran early on March 18.

As Iran’s intelligence minister since 2021, he was accused by rights groups of playing a key role in the suppression of protests.

Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh

A veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Nasirzadeh had served as defence minister since 2024.

He was also killed in a strike on the first day of the war.

Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani

Soleimani headed the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group that is a branch of the Revolutionary Guards and notorious among rights groups for suppressing protests.

He was killed in an airstrike on March 17.

Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini

Naini was killed in March in what the Guards described as a “cowardly” attack by the United States and Israel.

Just before his death was confirmed, the Fars news agency issued a statement quoting Naini as saying Iran’s missile production deserved a “perfect score” and was continuing despite the war.

Head of military office Mohammad Shirazi

Killed on the opening day of the war, Shirazi had the crucial job of coordinating between the various branches of the Iranian security forces at the office of supreme leader.

Armed forces chief Abdolrahim Mousavi

Mousavi, killed on the first day of the war, had only taken up his post — a senior position that coordinates between the Guards and the regular army — in June 2025 following the death of his predecessor Mohammad Bagheri in the 12-day war.

Published – June 15, 2026 09:22 am IST

Image used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

​Hopes grew on Friday (June 12, 2026) for peace between Iran and the United States after President Donald Trump said a deal could be ‌signed as soon as this weekend, even as Tehran said it had not made a ​final decision on a pact.

The deal, if confirmed, would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough yet ⁠to end the three-month-old war, which has killed thousands and sent global energy prices sharply higher after Iran all but closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

West Asia war updates

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House ‌on Thursday (June 11, 2026).

“The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe,” he said, adding that Vice-President J.D. Vance would ‌attend the deal signing.

Asked if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the deal, Mr. Trump said, “I understand ‌the ⁠answer is yes.”

Since mid-March, Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed a deal with Iran to end the war ⁠was close. The two sides have traded strikes this week, straining a ceasefire announced in April.

Iranian media reported Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying large parts of the agreement have been finalized, but Iran would not compromise on its red lines.

“We have not reached a ​final conclusion on this matter,” he said. “This is a ‌very important issue that is currently being reviewed by the relevant decision-making bodies.”

Markets rally despite tension

Asian stocks joined a strong global rally on Friday (June 12, 2026) on hopes that a peace deal may finally materialise, while oil prices fell to two-month lows.

Still, tension remained high around the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. forces shooting down two ‌Iranian one-way attack drones after Tehran attempted to strike commercial ships transiting the vital waterway, a U.S. ​official said.

Iran’s military stopped a tanker from transiting the strait, state media said, reporting the sound of explosions early on Friday (June 12, 2026).

Mr. Trump’s announcement came after he called off planned military strikes on Iran, ⁠citing progress in talks.

“It’s a very strong memorandum of understanding that is a little conceptual,” Mr. Trump told reporters.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly said any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies it is seeking such a ‌weapon.

Iran’s demands include the lifting of international sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets and recognition of its control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“The big thing is there will be no nuclear weapons in Iran. That means not developed and not purchased,” Mr. Trump later said during a campaign event held by telephone.

Tit-for-tat strikes

Earlier on Thursday (June 11, 2026), Mr. Trump said the United States would hit Iran “very hard tonight” and wanted eventually to take its oil infrastructure hub, Kharg Island.

The conflict has become a political headache for the White House, with polls showing Trump’s approval ratings sinking ‌amid voter anger over high gasoline prices.

Some Republicans have openly worried that the war’s unpopularity could cost them control of Congress in November’s midterm ​elections.

But Mr. Trump’s political considerations also include satisfying Iran hawks within his Republican Party, who scuttled a prior effort, that any agreement closes Tehran’s path to developing a nuclear weapon.

The reaction of other ⁠West Asia powers will also be crucial.

Mr. Trump said on social media the agreement had been approved by countries including Israel, ⁠Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after the Israeli leader and Trump spoke that Israel was not a party to the memorandum of understanding with ‌Iran.

Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for Trump’s commitment to securing a deal that includes removing enriched material, dismantling enrichment infrastructure, limiting missile output and ending support for regional proxies, the summary showed.

Tehran has been demanding an end ​to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where fighting has continued in a parallel war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

Published – June 12, 2026 11:09 am IST

File photo of U.S. President with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

File photo of U.S. President Donald Trump with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope of progress on ending the war with Iran, as he looked to Pakistani mediators to help advance efforts to strike an agreement.

Previous comments by President Donald Trump had suggested weeks of stop-start negotiations to strike a permanent end to the war were teetering on the “borderline” between a deal and renewed attacks.

“I believe the Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today. So hopefully that’ll advance this further,” Mr. Rubio told reporters on Thursday (May 21, 2026).

A ceasefire on April 8 halted the war launched weeks earlier by the United States and Israel, but negotiation efforts, including historic face to face talks hosted in Islamabad have so far failed to yield a lasting agreement.

Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, who is widely considered close to Pakistan’s powerful army chief Asim Munir, visited Iran for the second time in a week on Wednesday.

Iranian media, including the ISNA news agency, had reported based on unnamed sources that Munir could himself visit Tehran as early as Thursday, but there was no comment from Pakistan authorities about any travel plan for the army chief.

Beijing did however, announce that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel on Saturday (May 23, 2026) to China, which has also been involved in mediation efforts to end the war.

‘Borderline’

Though open warfare and strikes across the Gulf have reduced, the impasse continues to weigh on the world economy.

In April, Pakistan hosted the only direct negotiations, which Munir helped mediate, between US and Iranian officials to take place since February 28, when the war began.

But the talks ultimately failed, with Tehran accusing Washington of making “excessive demands”.

Since then, the two sides have exchanged multiple proposals, with the threat of renewed conflict looming all along.

“It’s right on the borderline, believe me,” Mr. Trump told reporters Wednesday (May 20, 2026). “If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go.”

He said a deal could come “very quickly” or “in a few days”, but warned Tehran would have to provide “100% good answers”.

Mr. Rubio also criticised NATO allies for their refusal to help in the war against Iran.

“He’s not asking them to commit troops. He’s not asking them to send their fighter jets in. But they refuse to do anything,” he said.

“We were very upset about that.”

‘Forceful response’

Tehran was on alert for the possibility of renewed armed conflict with chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warning Washington on Wednesday of a “forceful response” if Iran were to be attacked.

“The enemy’s movements, both overt and clandestine, show that despite economic and political pressure, it has not abandoned its military objectives and is seeking to start a new war,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Islamic republic was examining points received from Washington, while repeating Tehran’s demands for the release of its assets frozen abroad and an end to a US naval blockade.

Despite fiery rhetoric against Iran, Trump is under political pressure at home to find a resolution as energy costs rise.

The ceasefire halted the fighting but has not reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.

The future of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in negotiations, with fears growing that the global economy will feel more pain as pre-war oil stockpiles deplete.

Iran imposed a Hormuz blockade as part of its retaliation in the war, allowing only a trickle of vessels through in recent weeks while introducing a toll system.

Iran’s new body overseeing Hormuz said its claimed area of control extends to Emirati waters, drawing a sharp rebuke from Abu Dhabi.

Relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have been severely strained since the war, after Tehran launched missile and drone strikes against Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli attacks.

Hormuz carries around a third of global fertiliser shipments, raising concerns of higher food prices and shortages if the closure drags on.

Lebanon strikes

On another front in the war, Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli strike on Thursday damaged a hospital in Lebanon’s south.

Since a truce began on April 17, Israel has continued to launch strikes, carry out demolitions and issue evacuation orders in south Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah, which has also kept up attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,089 people in Lebanon since March 2.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the West Asia war with rocket fire at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in U.S.-Israeli strikes.

The United States on Thursday (May 21, 2026) sanctioned nine Hezbollah-linked individuals it accused of “obstructing the peace process in Lebanon”.

Published – May 22, 2026 08:10 am IST

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One for departure to Miami, Florida, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, on May 2, 2026
| Photo Credit: Reuters

File photo shows a man takes a cellphone photo as missiles fired from Iran. Image used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: AP

Iranians enjoy a sunny day, amid a two-week ceasefire in the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran. Photo: Thaier Al Sudani/Reuters

A boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran. File
| Photo Credit: AP