Official Iranian media outlets, including IRNA and ISNA, announced that Hussein Taeb, the former head of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence agency, was killed, but within minutes the news was removed from websites. Hours before the report, Taeb appeared in a television interview with the state broadcasting network of the Islamic Republic. So far, no official source in Iran has confirmed or denied the news, and the rapid removal of the reports has increased speculation about their authenticity and reasons for publication. This is a very important and influential figure in Iran.