Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a somber and defiant address to the Iranian nation on Friday morning, marking the 40th day since what was probably the most devastating blow to the Islamic Republic’s leadership since its founding in 1979.
Framed as a tribute to “martyrs,” Khamenei’s message praised the memory of top military commanders and nuclear scientists killed in what he described as a “criminal Zionist” attack – the Israeli attacks of June 13 that began the 12-day conflict between the two countries and a strike that decimated the upper echelons of Iran’s strategic apparatus.
While the regime’s narrative since then has invoked resilience, martyrdom, and divine justice, the speech raised a larger question that reaches far beyond Tehran: Is this a moment of national sacrifice or the beginning of a structural collapse?
The men Iran lost
Among those mourned in Khamenei’s address were eight of the most senior figures in Iran’s military and scientific hierarchy, men whose influence extended beyond the battlefield into the heart of the regime’s ideological and nuclear ambitions.
Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, was widely seen as the architect of Tehran’s broader military doctrine, overseeing coordination between the regular army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). A veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, Bagheri had become a central figure in shaping Iran’s regional deterrence strategy and served as a key bridge between the supreme leader and the military establishment.
Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the IRGC, was the regime’s most public military face. Known for his fiery speeches and direct threats against Israel and the United States, Salami had been instrumental in expanding Iran’s military footprint across the region, from Syria to Yemen.
Brig.-Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who led the IRGC Aerospace Force, was responsible for Iran’s vast ballistic missile program, a pillar of the country’s deterrence and a point of constant tension with the West. He had previously claimed responsibility for the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet in 2020, and was also believed to be heavily involved in Iran’s drone operations and satellite launches.
Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, held one of the most strategically sensitive roles within the armed forces.
He coordinated joint operations across various branches of the military and was tasked with preparing for any large-scale regional conflict. Often described as a “strategic brain” of Iran’s military planning, his death is considered a crippling loss to the regime’s command structure.
Gholamreza Mehrabi, the deputy head of Intelligence for the General Staff, and Mehdi Rabbani, the deputy head of operations, represented the regime’s deep state, overseeing counterintelligence and operational planning across both domestic and foreign theaters.
Their assassinations suggests a major breach in Iran’s internal security mechanisms and have raised fears of further intelligence unraveling.
The loss was not limited to military command. Fereydoon Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and a senior nuclear physicist, had survived one previous Israeli assassination attempt in 2010. He remained a key figure in Iran’s nuclear establishment and was believed to still be involved in covert weapons related research.
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a nuclear scientist and chancellor of Islamic Azad University, was considered a close ideological ally of Khamenei’s. His academic and political influence helped mold the next generation of regime loyalists, and he was deeply involved in advancing Iran’s civilian and dual-use nuclear capacities.
Together, these men formed the regime’s brain trust in the military, scientific, and ideological realms.
Their deaths, while eulogized by Khamenei as sacred martyrdom, leave a yawning gap in the Islamic Republic’s chain of command, and it remains uncertain whether their successors will be able to fill that void.
“This blow was inflicted by the ruling evil, criminal Zionist regime,” Khamenei said. “But the foolish, shortsighted enemy failed to achieve its goal... Our military and scientific advancements will move forward with greater momentum.”
Delivered in the classical rhetorical style of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei’s address praised the “lofty aspirations” of the dead, elevating them to near-mythical status. Their deaths were framed as a spiritual triumph.
“In this tragic event,” he told those gathered, “Islamic Iran has once again demonstrated the strength of its foundations. Iran’s enemies are ‘hammering on cold iron [their actions are useless].’ With God’s grace, Islamic Iran will grow stronger day by day, God willing.”
The speech was as much a call to arms as it was a memorial. Khamenei assigned duties to each segment of society. Speakers and writers were instructed to “safeguard the dignity and honor of the country,” scientists to “accelerate the speed of progress in science and technology in all sectors,” military commanders were tasked with ensuring national security, clerics were expected to provide spiritual guidance, and youth were expected to maintain “revolutionary fervor.”
Absent from the address, however, was any meaningful detail on how the regime plans to respond to the devastating loss of its top decision makers – or how it would rebuild the fractured command and control systems that held its missile, nuclear, and regional power strategies together.
“The future will show that both our military and scientific advancements will move forward with greater momentum than before, toward lofty horizons,” Khamenei stated.
Outside Iran, analysts described the deaths as a decapitation strike. While the exact circumstances of the assassinations remain murky, according to regional security analysts, several of the deceased officials had long been considered high-value targets due to their roles in Iran’s missile program and regional operations.
Inside Iran, however, the messaging is different. Khamenei’s emphasis on national unity and spiritual strength has already been echoed across state-aligned media outlets.
Posters bearing the images of the “martyred commanders” have appeared across Tehran and Qom. Friday sermons across the country referenced the slain men as heroes of the “resistance front.
Still, even the regime’s narrative betrays a sense of unease. Khamenei spoke of “spiritual fortitude” and “resilience” within the IRGC, acknowledgments that suggest a real fear of disarray and potential defection.
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced of mid-ranking commanders seeking to defect or resign, fearing purges or further strikes.
Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi told a crowd of Iranian opposition figures in Munich on Saturday that, “A large number of IRGC members are looking for a way to jump ship.”
The 40th day since those deaths has also reignited speculation around succession. With Khamenei aging and reportedly in poor health, the IRGC plays the role of kingmaker in any transition. With its senior command chain in tatters, Iran’s power vacuum now extends beyond the military.
Khamenei’s speech may rally the usual faithful, but for many Iranians, particularly the younger generations, it will sound like a eulogy for a dying republic.