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<\/a><\/p>\nPublished On 20 Mar 202620 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps<\/a> spokesperson has been killed in overnight strikes carried out jointly by the United States and Israel, the IRGC reported, the latest in a mounting toll<\/a> of senior officials assassinated since the war began.<\/p>\n Ali Mohammad Naini, a 68-year-old brigadier general who took up the IRGC spokesman role in 2024, \u201cwas martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn\u201d, the IRGC said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n His death came just hours after he appeared on national television to insist that Iran retained full capacity to manufacture missiles, even under wartime conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cOur missile industry deserves a perfect score \u2026 and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production,\u201d Naini was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that \u201cIran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Israeli army<\/a> said on Friday that it was carrying out strikes across eastern Tehran, as the country marks the Persian New Year, Nowruz, which this year coincides<\/a> with Eid al-Fitr.<\/p>\n Al Jazeera\u2019s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, described the mood in the capital as \u201chushed\u201d, with none of the customary festivities visible on the streets.<\/p>\n Naini\u2019s killing is the latest in a string of high-profile assassinations<\/a> that have gutted Iran\u2019s establishment in under three weeks.<\/p>\n Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening hours of the joint military campaign. He has since been replaced by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran\u2019s Supreme National Security Council and one of the most influential figures<\/a> in Iran\u2019s establishment, was killed in a strike along with his son and several aides.<\/p>\n The head of the Basij paramilitary forces, Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani<\/a>, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib<\/a> were also confirmed dead within the same 48-hour period.<\/p>\n US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made little effort<\/a> to conceal Washington\u2019s glee, saying on Thursday that \u201cthe last job anyone in the world wants right now\u201d is a senior leadership role in the IRGC or Basij.<\/p>\n However, other US officials appeared to suggest that Washington and Israel\u2019s aims in Israel were not aligned.<\/p>\n Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told<\/a> the House Intelligence Committee this week that US and Israeli objectives \u201care different\u201d, adding that while Israel had been \u201cfocused on disabling the Iranian leadership,\u201d Trump\u2019s goals were to destroy Iran\u2019s ballistic missile capabilities \u201cand their navy\u201d.<\/p>\n