Iran Names Mohammad Zolghadr Security Chief After Ali Larijani's Death

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr has been appointed as the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Tuesday after Ali Larijani was killed in a strike last week.

Zolghadr was a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander. He had been serving as the secretary of Iran's Expediency Council.

The killing of the late Khamenei's main adviser, Ali Larijani, was a real blow to the ruling authorities given his extensive experience, his ability to operate between Iran's different power centres and his skills negotiating with the outside world.

Trump Raises Hopes For War To End

Hopes rose that the Iran war could begin winding down as US President Donald Trump said that his government was holding productive talks with Tehran, but fighting showed no signs of slowing, and Iran denied there were talks.

Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, saying the US will hold off striking Iranian power plants for five more days to allow US envoys to hold talks with a "respected" Iranian leader.

Iranian officials said that Trump had backed down "following Iran's firm warning".

The spokesman of Iran's top military command says that its armed forces will fight “until complete victory".

The death count has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military personnel, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.