Iran’s Military Spokesperson Killed in Airstrike
On Friday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naini, their military spokesperson, was killed due to a US and Israeli airstrike during what they refer to as Operation Epic Fury.
Following the airstrike, General Naini released a statement expressing anger, calling his death a “martyrdom in a cowardly terrorist attack by the American Zionists at dawn.”
His death came shortly after he appeared on state television, where he defended Iran’s missile capabilities, stating the missile industry “deserves full marks” for its continued production even amidst wartime. This was in direct response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Iran had lost its ability to enrich uranium and produce ballistic missiles.
Earlier in the week, Naini disputed claims made by former President Donald Trump that the Revolutionary Guards Navy had been largely destroyed. He asserted that the Strait of Hormuz remained firmly under Iranian control, suggesting that if Trump wanted, he could send ships into the Persian Gulf.
Reports suggest Naini was around 68 or 69 years old at the time of his death. He had been appointed as the chief spokesperson of the Revolutionary Guards by Major General Hossein Salami in 2024.
Naini’s extensive background in psychological warfare is noted to have made him well-suited for his role. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) labeled him as the “chief propagandist of the Revolutionary Guards.”
Before his role as spokesperson, he had served as a “cultural deputy” for both the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij paramilitary group. He was also a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. In addition, he was a professor of social sciences at Imam Hossein University in Tehran, which is linked to the Revolutionary Guards. The British government had imposed sanctions on him in October 2024, which included an asset freeze and travel ban due to his incitements against Israel.
The IDF confirmed that the operation that resulted in Naini’s death was executed by the Israeli Air Force, supported by intelligence from Israel’s Directorate of Military Intelligence.
