Foreign Minister Araghchi: Assassinations cannot cause Iran to collapse

In an interview with Al Jazeera On March 18, broadcast after Tehran confirmed that National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani was killed by Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US and Israel still have not realized that the Iranian government does not depend on a single individual.

“I don’t understand why America and Israel still don’t understand this point: the Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic and social institutions. The presence or absence of an individual does not affect this structure,” Mr. Araghchi said.

Iran’s foreign minister explained that each senior official in the apparatus has its own influence and role, but the important point is that “the political system in Iran has a very solid structure” and “cannot be dealt a fatal blow” by air strikes targeting specific individuals.

Referring to the Israeli airstrike that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the conflict on February 28, Mr. Araghchi noted that “the system continues to operate” despite this loss.

“Even if the leader is martyred, the system continues to operate and immediately sends a replacement. If someone else falls, everything is still the same. If the Foreign Minister dies, there will also be a replacement,” Mr. Araghchi emphasized.

The statement was made by Mr. Araghchi before the Israeli Defense Minister today announced that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in an air strike on the capital Tehran last night. Iran has not confirmed this information.

CNN On March 18, a senior Israeli intelligence official quoted a senior Israeli intelligence official as saying that the killing campaign targeting a series of high-ranking Iranian officials was “sowing chaos” among Tehran’s leadership.

“Iran has been affected 6-10 times stronger than the Lion Rising campaign. They are struggling to make policies and make decisions. We are witnessing chaos and the situation is expected to worsen in the near future,” the Israeli official said, referring to the 12-day conflict in June 2025.

On March 17, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council confirmed that Mr. Larijani and his son and bodyguards were killed in an Israeli air strike. Iran fired a series of missiles, including those carrying cluster warheads, in response to Israel.

The war between the US, Israel and Iran has entered its 19th day and there is still no sign of cooling down. More than 2,000 people have died in the fighting, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.