Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Larijani was "eliminated last night", although this has not been confirmed by Iran. Earlier Tuesday, Israel's military said Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed Monday in a strike on Tehran. Reports of their deaths come less than three weeks after US-Israeli strikes on February 28 killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader since 1989, triggering a war that has engulfed the region.

He was replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, whose whereabouts and health is the subject of much speculation. US President Donald Trump said Monday that "we don't know... if he's dead or not". Hundreds of people have been killed and millions have been displaced because of the war, notably in Lebanon and Iran. The conflict has also sent oil prices soaring, after Iran's attacks on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is key to the transit of crude and liquefied natural gas. Oil prices rose more than five percent early Tuesday after several countries pushed back on Trump's demand they help protect shipping. (Bssnews)