Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naini.
General Naeini “was martyred at dawn in a criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist party,” the IRGC said in a statement on its Sepah News website.
Who was Ali Mohammad Naini
The 69-year-old held the rank of second brigadier general and was the IRGC’s spokesman as of 2024.
General Naeini replaced Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif as IRGC Spokesman and was appointed to the post by Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief.
General Naeini was recognized as one of the IRGC’s best specialists in psychological operations, soft power and cognitive warfare.
A 40-year career in the IRGC
General Naeini, a 40-year veteran who also fought in the Iran-Iraq War, held a number of high-ranking posts during his career, including that of the IRGC’s Cultural Deputy and Basij Cultural and Social Deputy.
In 2024, General Naeini was among the top Iranian military officials sanctioned by the UK after Tehran launched an attack on Israel.
The face of the Iranian reaction
During the ongoing Operation Epic Fury, General Naeini remained one of Iran’s most prominent faces, making his country’s position clear to the world.
“We are prepared for all scenarios. The 12-day war proved that the military option against Iran is a failure and that our forces determine the outcome,” General Naeini said on February 28, the day the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran.
General Naeini was killed a day after he issued a public message on Iranian state television questioning the presence of the US Navy in the Persian Gulf.
He also repeatedly claimed that Iran’s missile production remained unaffected by the conflict, and even claimed that Tehran has new weapons that were developed after the 12-day war and that “the enemy should expect painful wounds in every wave of operations.”
Other details, including how the US killed General Naeini, are unclear at this time.
Top Iranian leadership killed by US
The killing of General Naeini is another blow to Iran as the war enters its third week.
Several prominent Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were killed in US-Israeli bombings that began on 28 February.
Other prominent figures include Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council; Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, Esmail Khatib; Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Ali Khamenei who was also instrumental in shaping Iran’s security and nuclear policies; Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the IRGC, and Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Basij paramilitary force.
Despite the setbacks, Iran’s political and military leadership refused to give up and vowed to continue the fight and inflict further damage on the US, Israel and US allies in the Middle East.
