Esmaeil Khatib, an Iranian cleric and politician who served as minister of intelligence, died on March 18, 2026, when he was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike during the 2026 Iran war.
Born in Qaen, South Khorasan Province, in 1961, he studied Islamic jurisprudence in Qom. He was a pupil of Ali Khamenei, Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, Naser Makarem Shirazi and Mojtaba Tehrani.
From 1991, he was responsible for intelligence in the province of Qom. He served as minister of intelligence from August 2021 and was the eighth official to hold the post.
Esmaeil Khatib (1961 – 18 March 2026) was an Iranian cleric and politician who served as the Minister of Intelligence from August 2021 until his assassination in March 2026 during the 2026 Iran war by an Israeli airstrike. He was the eighth official to hold the post.