SRINAGAR: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini was killed in joint US and Israeli strikes, Iranian state media reported on Friday, hours after he issued a warning challenging US naval claims in the Gulf.
According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Naini “was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn”, as quoted by news agency AFP.
The brigadier-general had earlier dismissed assertions by Donald Trump that Iran’s navy had been destroyed, daring the United States to deploy ships into the Persian Gulf. He also maintained that Iran continued missile production despite ongoing strikes.
“Didn’t Trump say that Iran’s navy has been destroyed? If so, let him send his ships into the Persian Gulf if he dares,” Naini was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
“Our missile industry deserves a perfect score… and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production,” Guards spokesman Naini said, according to the Fars News Agency.
The killing comes amid a series of US–Israeli strikes targeting senior Iranian figures following the death of Ali Khamenei on 28 February. On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in Tehran, alleging his role in suppressing the 2022–23 Mahsa Amini protests and overseeing external operations.
Earlier in the week, senior figures including Ali Larijani and Basij leader Gholamreza Soleimani were also reported killed.
President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killings and vowed resilience, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran’s political system remains intact and functional despite the loss of key leaders.
Tensions have further escalated after Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s South Pars gas field, triggering retaliatory attacks and raising concerns of a wider energy crisis. Oil prices surged sharply amid fears of supply disruptions, particularly through the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy shipments.
