Ali Mohammad Naini, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in a dawn airstrike on March 20, 2026, in what the IRGC described as a “criminal cowardly terrorist attack” carried out by U.S. and Israeli forces.
Tasnim News Agency, closely linked to the elite military unit, confirmed the death, marking the latest blow in a string of targeted strikes that have decimated Iran’s top leadership since the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war on February 28.
Naini, a veteran commander with more than four decades in the Islamic Republic’s military and propaganda operations, had served as IRGC spokesperson and deputy head of public relations since 2024.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the killing of Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, Esmaeil Khatib, in a strike carried out in Tehran on Thursday.
According to the IDF, Khatib was involved in actions against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests between 2022 and 2023.
In a post on X, the IDF said on Wednesday, “ELIMINATED: Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, in a targeted strike in Tehran. Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against Israelis & Americans around the world. Similarly, he operated against Iranian citizens during the Mahsa Amini protests (2022-2023). The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against Israeli and Iranian citizens”.
