Iran Confirms Killing Of Defence Minister Mousavi, Army Chief Of Staff Nasir Zadeh.

Tehran; March 2026: The official IRNA agency says the Iranian army’s chief of staff, Abdul Rahim Mousavi, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasir Zadeh were killed in the US-Israel attacks on Iran on 28th February 2026 (local time), alongwith the assassination of Khamenei’s security adviser, Ali Shamkhani, as well as IRGC commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour. IRNA said more commanders of the armed forces were also killed and that their names will be announced later.

The public mood is a mixture of different sentiments. Iran is dealing with polarisation when it comes to the repercussions of the attack. Part of society is in support of the political establishment, and as state TV footage shows, there are many people taking to the streets in Tehran and other cities across the country, such as Mashhad and Qom. Another segment of the society has exhibited their dissatisfaction.

So, there are three camps of people: a group of pro-government people, people dissatisfied with the performance of the political establishment, and a grey zone in between.

Regardless of all these camps, there is a sort of frustration and anxiety considering that Khamenei’s killing happened while the country was under attack. But, despite Khamenei’s assassination, experts expects continuity in Iran as the country’s foreign policy is not determined by one person. The supreme leader Khamenei has an important say in this process, but the other institutions or bodies of the government are also very influential, according to the experts. While some Iranians disapprove of the current political system, the majority are trying to unite around their national flag at a time of external aggression.

What the experts apprehend is the fact that this will result in a public uprising against the current system, because the people understands that such kind of conditions can result in more instability and insecurity, with examples in the region, like what the Israelis did in Syria, also serve as a lesson.

In a surprise move, The Iraqi government has announced three days of national mourning over Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination. “With great sadness and sorrow, we offer our condolences to the honourable Iranian people and the entire Islamic nation on the martyrdom of the scholar and mujahid, the Supreme Leader, His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husseini al-Khamenei, whom we consider to be among the first of the family of the Prophet”, said government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi in remarks carried by the Iraqi News Agency. The killing came “as a result of a blatant aggression and a reprehensible act that violates all human and moral norms, and in clear violation of international laws and conventions”, he added.

Team Maverick.