Spokesman of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Ali Mohammad Naini has been killed, state media reported on Friday, as the war with the United States and Israel continues to escalate across the Gulf.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a multi-service primary force of the Iranian Armed Forces.
According to state media, Naini was killed in strikes launched by the US and Israel. He “was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn,” AFP reported, citing a Guards’ statement carried on the Sepah News website.
Killed Hours After ‘Surprise’ Warning
Naini’s death comes just hours after his remarks warning of further escalation were reported by local media.
“Our missile industry deserves a perfect score… and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production,” Fars news agency had quoted him as saying.
He had asserted that Iran’s missile production remains uninterrupted during the conflict and that adequate stockpiles are available.
“The missile industry has reached its highest levels. There are surprises coming for the enemy, and as the battles progress, they will become more complex and intense,” Naini had said.
Fourth Major Blow To Iran This Week
Naini’s killing marks the fourth major loss for Iran’s leadership this week, following the deaths of Ali Larijani, Gholamreza Soleimani and Esmail Khatib in separate strikes.
The ongoing drone and missile exchanges, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, have intensified sharply in recent days. The escalation included an attack on the South Pars gas field and Iran’s retaliation targeting the Ras Laffan LNG facility in Qatar.
While Israel did not claim responsibility for the South Pars strike, US President Donald Trump attributed it to Israel and said on Truth Social that Iranian gas infrastructure would not be targeted further. However, he warned that if Iran continued attacks on Qatar’s energy facilities, the US would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.
Israel Signals More Strikes Ahead
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz on Thursday indicated further escalation, promising more “surprises” after stating that Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in an earlier airstrike.
Two days prior, Israel had also killed senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani and Basij commander General Gholamreza Soleimani, as part of its continued campaign targeting Iran’s top leadership.
