Two of Iran’s top security officials have been killed in airstrikes, Israel has claimed. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Ali Larijani, was killed overnight, as President Donald Trump’s war continues to escalate. He was a former chairman of the Iranian parliament and a key advisor to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with whom he had worked on negotiations with the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear program. In January, the U.S. Treasury identified him as the figure behind Iran’s brutal crackdown on demonstrators in January, which is feared to have left tens of thousands dead. Placing tariffs on him earlier this year, the Treasury said he was “responsible for coordinating the response to the protests on behalf of the supreme leader of Iran.” Israel also said it had killed the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force boss, Gholamreza Soleimani, while he was hiding out in a tent along with other commanders. The Basij force spearheads efforts to suppress demonstrations in the country. “Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program,” Katz said. Iran has not confirmed either death.
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