The Iranian official who threatened Donald Trump has reportedly been taken out following the latest round of airstrikes on the country.
Just last week, it was reported that Ali Ardashir Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, threatened their enemies of making 'empty threats'.
He stated: "The Ashura nation of Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Be careful not to be eliminated."
Signed off by the Iranian Security Council, just '10 days after the martyrdom of His Holiness Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei'.
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It was a direct response to Trump's threat of 'death, fire and fury' to Iran, as he tried to force the Middle East nation to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran have instead continued to prevent the flow of oil through this vital shipping passage, even attacking foreign tankers within the Persian Gulf.
But just days after Larijani's sobering warning to Trump, he has been killed following an Israeli airstrike on Monday night (16 March), say the Iran Defence Ministry.
The IDF confirmed that Larijani in particular was targeted, claiming that a separate strike also killed the head of the Basji paramilitary force.
The official had a part to play in the interim leadership council which led Iran, as they decided who would succeed the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after his death following strikes.
The head of the Iranian Revolutiationary Guards' all-volunteer Basij force, which was used to suppress demonstrations in the nation, was also killed in a strike.
A further reported death was that of General Gholam Reza Soleimani, who is said to have been killed on Monday too.
Speaking in a statement, the Israeli military said: "The Basij forces are part of the armed apparatus of the Iranian terror regime,
"During internal protests in Iran, particularly in recent periods as demonstrations intensified, Basij forces under Soleimani’s command led the main repression operations, employing severe violence, widespread arrests and the use of force against civilian demonstrators."
Mojtaba Khamenei, the eldest son of the former Ayatollah, was named as his successor this month, though he too has been targeted by strikes.
Trump claimed that he was 'not' alive following strikes, but Iran has since reiterated that their new Supreme Leader is alive, as reports from Middle Eastern outlets claimed that he was operated on in Russia after injuries sustained from strikes.
The US President bragged last week that they had 'wiped out' a number of powerful figures in Iran, though defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that Khamenei is 'wounded and likely disfigured'.
"We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today," Trump wrote on Truth Social on 13 March.
Topics: Iran, Donald Trump, Politics, World News
Joshua Nair