IRGC spokesman killed in US-Israeli airstrikes – Iranian state media

 

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reported on Friday that Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been killed in US-Israeli strikes.

His reported death comes amid a wave of targeted killings of senior Iranian officials following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the killing of Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, Esmaeil Khatib, in a strike carried out in Tehran on Thursday. According to the IDF, Khatib was involved in actions against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests between 2022 and 2023.

In a post on X, the IDF said on Wednesday, “ELIMINATED: Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, in a targeted strike in Tehran. Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis & Americans around the world. Similarly, he operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests (2022-2023). The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against Israeli and Iranian citizens”.

In related developments earlier this week, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Basij paramilitary leader Gholamreza Soleimani were also killed in Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday.

Reacting to the deaths, Pezeshkian condemned the “cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues,” stating that they “left us heartbroken”. In a post on X, he added that their “path will continue stronger than before”, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Larijani, aged 67 and regarded as a close ally of the late Ali Khamenei and his successor Mojtaba Khamenei, was killed following a strike late Monday night. His death marks the loss of one of the most senior figures in Iran’s leadership since the conflict escalated 19 days ago.

Soleimani, who had overseen the country’s internal security force for six years, was considered a central figure in shaping Iran’s military response.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained in an earlier interview that the country’s political system remains resilient despite the loss of key leaders.

“I do not know why the Americans and the Israelis still have not understood this point: The Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic, and social institutions,” Araghchi said.

He further stressed that the “presence or absence of a single individual does not affect this structure.” He noted that while “individuals are influential, and each person plays their role–some better, some worse, some less-but what matters is that the political system in Iran is a very solid structure.”

Araghchi also referred to the earlier killing of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the initial phase of US-Israeli strikes on February 28, stating that despite the significant loss, “the system continued” to function.