BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 1. Iran has confirmed
the death of four high-ranking military officials, Trend
reports.
During military airstrikes by Israel and the United States,
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian
Armed Forces; Mohammad Pakpour, Commander of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps; Ali Shamkhani, Advisor to Iran’s Supreme
Leader and Secretary of the Defense Council; and Defense Minister
Aziz Nasirzadeh were killed.
Following the second round of nuclear talks between Washington
and Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S.
increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150
aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between
Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the
administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations
were seen as a last opportunity for a diplomatic resolution.
However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt
uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept
indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its
airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country’s Defense Minister
Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.
As a result of the military airstrikes carried out the previous
day by Israel and the United States, Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed
Ali Khamenei and members of his family were killed.
