Iran's Supreme Leader said "Israel must pay" following the assassinations of the security chief and the Intelligence Minister within two days. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister affirmed that the state's structure remains strong.
On 18 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader, issued a stern statement declaring that Israel must pay for assassinating three senior Iranian security officials within just two days. This followed Iran's confirmation of the death of Esmail Khatib, the Intelligence Minister, from a nighttime attack, marking the third high-ranking official killed in a short span.
Previously, Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, was also assassinated. Khamenei stated via Telegram that the criminal killers must pay; every drop of blood has a price to be paid.
Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, told reporters that assassinations by the US and Israel would not destabilize Iran's political system. He said the Islamic Republic's structure is strong and does not rely on any single individual, expressing confusion over why the US and Israel fail to understand that Iran has a stable political, economic, and social system. He added that while individuals may play important roles, losing one person will not impact the overall state structure.
Source: Aljazeera