Tehran, Mar 20 (UNI) Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was killed in early Friday US‑Israeli airstrikes, the IRGC said, minutes after he was quoted outlining continued missile production despite the ongoing war.
The strike follows a series of targeted operations against Iran’s top brass since the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the killing of Esmaeil Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister, who was involved in the crackdown on the 2022-2023 Mahsa Amini protests and operations against Israelis and Americans abroad.
This week, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force, were also killed in Israeli airstrikes. Lawmaker Pezeshkian condemned the attacks, calling them “cowardly” and vowing that the deceased leaders’ “path will continue stronger than before.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Americans and the Israelis are unable to understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong political structure with established political, economic, and social institutions, and the killing of one political figure will not make a difference to the established structure.
He also asserted that Israel’s killing of Ali Larijani, the powerful secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, will not deal a fatal blow to Iran’s leadership.
Araghchi said Iran’s governing structure remained resilient despite the loss of individuals, describing it as a “very solid” system with established political, economic and social institutions.
