Iranian state television reported Friday that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini and his deputy were killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike. An Israeli security official confirmed that Naini was killed.
On Feb. 28, the day the war began, Naini said, “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.” Days later, on March 6, he added: “Iranian forces are ready for a long war. New weapons will soon be revealed. They have not yet been widely used. The enemy should expect painful blows in every wave of operations.”
Just last Sunday, he issued another threat, saying: “Many of the missiles we produced after the 12-day war have not yet been used. Trump claims he destroyed Iran’s navy? Then let him send his warships to the Gulf if he has the courage. Most of the missiles we are launching now were produced a decade ago.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
(Video: Department of War )
A day before Naini’s reported killing, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “The last job anyone in the world wants right now [is to be a] senior leader for the IRGC or Basij. Temp jobs, all of them.”
First published: 11:13, 03.20.26