The spokesperson of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed in US-Israeli strikes on Friday.
According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Naeini served in several propaganda and public relations roles. In his role as the IRGC’s main propagandist for the past 2 years, he disseminated the regime’s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East to influence and advance terror attacks against Israel, stated the IDF.
This marks the latest high-profile casualty among Iran’s top military leadership since the death of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, amid escalating US-Israeli operations in the region.
Targeted strikes claim multiple Iranian leaders
The killings follow a series of targeted strikes on Iranian officials. On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the death of Esmaeil Khatib, Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, who the IDF said had operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests of 2022–2023.
Earlier in the week, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, were killed in Israeli air strikes on Tuesday. Larijani, 67, a close associate of the late Khamenei and his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, was considered the most senior Iranian leader eliminated since the conflict began 19 days ago. Soleimani had led the Basij internal security force for six years and was seen as a key figure in Iran’s military response.
Iran reaffirm leadership resilience
Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, condemned the “cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues,” saying their deaths “left us heartbroken.” In a post on X, he added that their “path will continue stronger than before,” according to Al Jazeera.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed that the political system remains resilient despite the losses. “The political infrastructure of the nation remains a very solid structure and will not suffer a fatal blow to Iran’s leadership,” he had said following the killing of Ali Larijani.
Araghchi added that while individual leaders are influential, the absence of any single figure does not weaken Iran’s governance. Highlighting the earlier death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, he remarked, “Despite the immense national loss, the system continued to function.”