Two senior Iranian leaders — including one of the country’s top spies and the head of its undercover forces — were killed in overnight airstrikes on the capital, Tehran, state media and Israel’s defense minister said Monday, shortly before the Islamic Republic rejected a Pakistani-brokered ceasefire deal.

Israel and the United States carried out a wave of strikes on the regime, killing more than 25 people.

The joint strikes successfully targeted Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, the head of intelligence for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Khademi was effectively Number two within the IRGC, one of the few senior commanders who managed to survive multiple waves of Israeli and American targeting over the past year. He oversaw an intelligence apparatus that repeatedly failed to detect or prevent major Israeli and US operations, exposing deep vulnerabilities inside Iran’s security system. Khademi was deeply involved in attempts to penetrate US systems, including efforts to breach the Pentagon.

The second high-ranking official was Ashgar Bakeri, leader of the Revolutionary Guard’s undercover unit in its expeditionary Quds Force, the Israel Defense Forces said. Bakeri was directly involved in recruiting agents across the Middle East and orchestrating attacks against American targets in Iraq and Syria, including operations that led to US casualties.

The elimination of two high-profile targets by Israel is the latest in a series of attacks aimed at wiping out the Iranian military and political leadership. On March 16, Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, just days after he issued a warning to President Trump. Larijani had told Trump he could be “eliminated” if the US-Israeli bombings of Iran didn’t cease. The 67-year-old had been acting as Iran’s de facto leader since the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 in the early hours of Operation Epic Fury.

In tandem with the targeting of military personnel, the IDF has continued a widespread assault on Iranian infrastructure:

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said earlier that the IDF has been instructed to continue striking with full force the national infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime.

A second petrochemical facility in Iran, the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex, was targeted by a US-Israeli attack, Iranian media reports.

The Fars news agency reports that a fire that sparked at the complex was brought under control, and no casualties were caused.

Earlier, Israel confirmed striking Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

Over the weekend, Israel also struck petrochemical facilities in southern Iran.

Amidst the military operations, discussions regarding a potential ceasefire have emerged, though a diplomatic breakthrough remains stalled by firm opposition from Tehran.

Pakistani Proposal: The Pakistani-brokered plan emerged from intense overnight contacts and proposes an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiations on a broader peace settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days.

US Stance: US President Donald Trump will speak about a Pakistani ceasefire proposal at a press conference at 1 p.m. local time (8 p.m. in Israel). A White House official states that this is one of many ideas, and Trump has not signed off on it, adding that Operation Epic Fury continues. Additionally, Washington was not ready for a permanent ceasefire.

Iran has sent to Pakistan its response to the U.S. proposal to end the war, IRNA reports. Tehran’s response, which consists of ten paragraphs, rejects a ceasefire, and includes a set of demands, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction, and lifting sanctions.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official earlier told Reuters that Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of a temporary ceasefire, nor would it accept deadlines or pressure to reach a deal.

In a related development, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi discussed the Iran conflict and other developments in a call Monday.