Iran's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib has been killed, the country's president has confirmed.
Masoud Pezeshkian said the 'cowardly assassination' had left Iran 'in deep mourning,' after Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Khatib in an air strike.
This comes a day after Israel announced it had killed Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, and head of the paramilitary Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani, in strikes.
Since the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war on 28 February, multiple senior Iranian officials and commanders have been killed in efforts by Israel and the US to weaken the regime's leadership.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian extended his condolences to the Iranian people over Khatib's death, adding he was 'certain their path will continue more steadfastly than before.'
Earlier on Wednesday, Israel's defense minister announced that Khatib had been 'eliminated' in an Israeli strike in Tehran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's defense minister authorized the military to eliminate any senior Iranian official identified as a threat.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Iran's Ministry of Intelligence had been essential in supporting the regime's oppressive measures and that Khatib played a significant role in the crackdown against recent protests. Khatib had held several significant roles, including his appointment to Minister of Intelligence by former president Ebrahim Raisi in 2021.
The ongoing violence has seen more than 1,300 people killed in Israeli and US strikes on Iran, with fears of increased retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following Khatib's assassination. Oil prices also continue to surge due to the conflict's impact on vital supply routes.
