Iran confirms Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib killed

By Isa Isawade

The Iranian state television has confirmed the killing on air Wednesday of the country’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib by the Israeli forces.

Khatib’s killing follows Israel’s killing of top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force.

Israel’s defense minister had earlier claimed that the Israeli military killed Khatib, but this appeared a mere speculation as no other authority confirmed the news.

A few hours later, however, the Iranian state television broadcast confirmed the feared news, making it the third assassination of top Iranian military officers in two days.

Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said in a social media post that Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis & Americans around the world.

It also included that the late intelligence minister operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests 2022–2023.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also confirmed Khatib’s death.

Pezeshkian, in a post on X on Wednesday said: “The cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues Ismail Khatib, Ali Larijani, and Aziz Nasirzadeh, alongside some of their family members and accompanying team, has left us in deep mourning.”

The United States-Israel war on Iran has continued to escalate since the killing of the 86-year-old Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatolla Ali Khameini on Feb. 28, 2026 along with over 1,300 Iranians.

Facilities associated with Iran’s massive offshore South Pars natural gas field came under attack Wednesday, state media reported.

Qatar, which shares the gas field with Iran, later blamed Israel for the attack.

U.S. Central Command said the U.S. military fired multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator bombs Tuesday on Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported, is sparking concerns about tightening energy supplies.