IRGC confirms killing of Basij chief Gholam Reza Soleimani in US-Israeli strike

2026-03-17 - 19:50

Shafaq News- Tehran Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday that Basij Organization chief Gholam Reza Soleimani was killed in a “terrorist attack” carried out by US and Israeli forces. An IRGC statement reported by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency IRGC said Soleimani, one of the senior commanders within its military structure, was killed in a “treacherous operation” by the “American-Zionist enemy.” Soleimani is considered a veteran figure in Iran’s military establishment. The statement referred to his “long record of service,” including participation in the Iran-Iraq War between 1980 and 1988. Since assuming leadership of the Basij, Soleimani oversaw the development of the force’s infrastructure, as well as social support programs and construction projects in remote areas across Iran. Earlier on Tuesday, Israel said it had killed Soleimani and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani in airstrikes on Tehran. The Iranian authorities did not confirm Larijani’s death.