By Ian Werther in News — 18 Mar 2026

Iran says Basij commander Golamreza Solaimani killed in U.S.-Israel airstrikes

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the 17th local time confirmed the death of Golamreza Solaimani, the commander of the Basij Militia, the IRGC’s loosely organized paramilitary force. An IRGC-linked outlet, Sepa News, reported that Solaimani was martyred in airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel. Earlier, Israel said it conducted overnight strikes that it said eliminated Solaimani and Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

The Basij Militia operates under the IRGC and is described by Iranian authorities as a broad, influential presence across society. It is portrayed as a semi-official force with wide reach, often described in Iranian state media as the regime’s “tentacles.” The Basij is tasked with crowd control, internal intelligence and surveillance, and policing duties and can assist the IRGC’s reserve forces in wartime.

Iran’s Musa Bay (خور موسی) on the northern end of the Persian Gulf is pictured in this image from the Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite on 13 January 2017.
Near the centre, we can see the port city of Bandar Imam Khomeini, situated at the terminus of the Trans-Iranian Railway – a route that links the Persian Gulf with Iran’s capital, Tehran.
The dark area to the right of the port is Musa Bay, a shallow estuary. The large geometric structures along the top appear to be evaporation ponds for extracting naturally occurring minerals from the ground.
The left side of the image is dominated by the marshes and mudflats of the Shadegan wildlife refuge. It is the largest wetland in Iran, and plays a significant role in the natural ecology of the area.
The area provides a wintering habitat for a wide variety of migratory birds, and is the most important site in the world for a rare species of aquatic bird: the marbled duck. The northern part of the wetland is a vital freshwater habitat for many endangered species.
This area is considered a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty for the sustainable use of wetlands.
World Wetlands Day is observed every year on 2 February.

This image is featured on the Earth from Space video programme. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 igo. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

In recent weeks, economic hardship has spurred anti-government protests inside Iran. Iranian authorities say Basij units were involved in suppressing demonstrators, reflecting the force’s role in maintaining internal security amid unrest.

For international audiences, the reported death highlights the intersection of Iran’s security apparatus with broader regional tensions. The United States and Israel have been involved in border and regional security dynamics in the Middle East, and the claim of joint strikes against senior Iranian security figures underscores the potential for escalation.

The Basij is part of Iran’s security architecture, alongside the IRGC, and has been described as a domestic security and surveillance instrument within Iranian society. Its involvement in protest control and intelligence functions is a point of concern for observers tracking Iran’s internal stability and its regional posture.

Bottom view of the iwan at one of the entrances at Fatima Masumeh Shrine, Qom, Iran. this picture merged from 25 pictures. 5 frames and each frame contain 5 pictures with 5 levels of exposure. HDR + Panorama — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Ali Larijani, cited by Israel as being killed alongside Solaimani, served as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a key policymaking body in Iran’s security and foreign policy apparatus. The claim about his involvement and status is part of the wider, contested account of the strikes.

Officials from Iran have publicly framed the reported deaths as part of ongoing conflicts with the United States and Israel. Independent confirmation from outside Iran remains limited, and the situation illustrates how information from state-affiliated outlets can shape international perceptions during periods of heightened tension.

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