Israel’s military on Tuesday claimed it had eliminated Major General Ali Shadmani, identifying him as Iran’s wartime chief of staff and the country’s most senior operational military commander at the time of his death.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shadmani was leading the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters — Iran’s military emergency command — and was effectively overseeing both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regular armed forces. He had reportedly held the position for just four days before being killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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Shadmani was killed in an IAF strike in central Tehran, following precise intelligence, the military said. Iran has not confirmed nor denied the claim so far.

Shadmani took over the role after his predecessor, Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed last Friday in what Israel described as its opening salvo in the ongoing strikes against Iran.

Labelling him the “war chief of staff”, the IDF said Shadmani was considered the closest top military figure to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following Rashid’s death, according to the Times of Israel.

“In view of Lt. Gen. Gholamali Rashid’s martyrdom at the hands of the vile Zionist regime, and in light of Major General Ali Shadmani’s meritorious services & valuable experience, I confer the rank of Major Gen. & appoint him Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya (pbuh) Central HQ,” Khamenei wrote in his post on the social media platform X while announcing Shadmani as the new head.

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The Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, under Shadmani’s command, was responsible for orchestrating Iran’s combat operations and greenlighting attack plans, according to the Israeli military.

The development came hours after world leaders at the G7 Summit in Canada issued a joint statement on the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, saying Tel Aviv has the “right to defend itself”.

“We, the leaders of the G7, reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East. In this context, we affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself. We reiterate our support for the security of Israel,” the statement read.

Israel and Iran continued their military offensives against each other for the fifth straight day today, killing several civilians on both sides.

In the early hours of the morning, Iranian media reported a series of explosions in Tehran, with plumes of smoke seen rising from the city’s eastern districts. Heavy anti-aircraft fire lit up the skies as Iran’s air defences attempted to intercept what were believed to be incoming Israeli projectiles. Air defence systems were also activated in Natanz, a strategically critical site housing Iran’s key nuclear facilities, according to the Asriran news outlet.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has teamed up with congressional Democrats and introduced a resolution today to prohibit “United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The bipartisan resolution is co-sponsored by prominent Democrats who often disagree with Massie on domestic issues, like Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

“The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Massie said in a statement. “Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”

Massie has, at times, been a Republican thorn in President Trump’s side and is one of the few Republicans staunchly opposed to the president’s proposed sweeping spending plan known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The text of what’s being called the Massie-Khanna Iran War Powers Resolution can be read here.

However, U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters, “That is a risk not just for the region — because it’s already a geopolitical thing.”

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Trump after the Israeli attacks began and told the U.S. president that Moscow is ready to do what it can “to facilitate” a de-escalation.

Nebenzia also raised concerns about Israeli attacks causing a radiation leak the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran, as well as its threats to attack the underground Fordo facility and other nuclear sites.

US President Donald Trump says Iran must make a deal now over its nuclear program or face even more destructive and deadly military action.

“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump says on his Truth Social platform. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”

He says Iranians refused to agree to a deal, despite his many warnings of military actions that “would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told.”

“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done,” he writes.

The president does not indicate the US will join the military action, but says he will continue to arm Israel with weapons to use against Iran.

“Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it,” he writes.