Israel Says Strike Killed Iran’s Larijani as War Intensifies

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Israel said it killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, in an overnight attack, intensifying a region-wide war that shows no sign of abating well into its third week.  Defense Minister Israel Katz said Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has been “eliminated,” along with the commander of Iran’s paramilitary Basij unit. Iran has yet to comment on the claim, which came amid ongoing strikes from both sides on Tuesday.  Alex Vatanka, Middle East Institute Senior Fellow joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss how Iran regime sees latest death blows. Israel said it killed Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, in an overnight attack, intensifying a region-wide war that shows no sign of abating well into its third week.  Defense Minister Israel Katz said Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has been “eliminated,” along with the commander of Iran’s paramilitary Basij unit. Iran has yet to comment on the claim, which came amid ongoing strikes from both sides on Tuesday.  If Larijani’s death is confirmed, he would be one of the most high-profile Iranian officials to be killed since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the now 18-day long war. Khamenei has been succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, with Tehran maintaining retaliatory fire around the Middle East in response to the ongoing Israeli and US assault Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that his military is “undermining this regime in the hope of giving the Iranian people a chance to remove it.” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar earlier said the war is effectively “already won,” but vowed to “continue till the point the mission will be completed.”  In the US, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC the expectation is still for a “four-to-six week operation,” while adding that a longer war could “hurt consumers” and thus dictate a potential change of approach.   The comments came after Iran set a massive natural gas field in the United Arab Emirates ablaze overnight as it steps up attacks on key energy sites, the first time Iran has damaged an oil or gas upstream facility in the country during the war.  The move, combined with persistent blockages in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for oil and gas flows, triggered a fresh rise in Brent crude prices to about $102 a barrel on Tuesday.   Khamenei has rejected proposals for ​reducing tensions or for a ceasefire with ‌the US that were conveyed to Tehran by two intermediary countries, Reuters reported, citing a senior Iranian official. US President Donald Trump has appealed for international help — from both allies and China — to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The effective shuttering of the strait has driven US gasoline prices higher, piling pressure on the administration ahead of midterm elections in November. “Numerous countries have told me they’re on the way — some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t,” Trump told reporters at the White House late Monday. “Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years.” No government has publicly said it will send warships to escort commercial vessels through Hormuz. Many military analysts have said that, without a ceasefire, it will be dangerous to send ships through Hormuz even if they have armed escorts. Canada rejected the idea on Tuesday, with Foreign Minister Anita Anand saying the country had “no intention of participating in the military operation.”  -------- Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube Weekdays 7am-6pm ET WATCH HERE: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio Subscribe to our Podcasts: Bloomberg Daybreak: http://bit.ly/3DWYoAN Bloomberg Surveillance: http://bit.ly/3OPtReI Bloomberg Intelligence: http://bit.ly/3YrBfOi Balance of Power: http://bit.ly/3OO8eLC Bloomberg Businessweek: http://bit.ly/3IPl60i Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app: Apple CarPlay: https://apple.co/486mghI Android Auto: https://bit.ly/49benZy Visit our YouTube channels: Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/bloombergpodcasts Bloomberg Television: https://www.youtube.com/@markets Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake