Iran’s top Revolutionary Guard spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naini, was killed in a joint US-Israel strike, state media reported on Friday, making him the fourth senior Iranian leader targeted in a single week. His death comes just hours after he publicly challenged the United States, warning that the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel would grow “more complex and intense.”
“Our missile industry deserves a perfect score, and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production. The missile industry has reached its highest levels. There are surprises coming for the enemy, and as the battles progress, they will become more complex and intense,” Naini told Fars news agency.
Naini’s killing occurs amid a sharp escalation in the Middle East, including recent strikes on the South Pars gas field and retaliatory attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG facility.
Several senior Iranian figures have also reportedly been killed in US-Israeli strikes. Among the most prominent are:
- Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and former nuclear negotiator, confirmed dead on March 17. Larijani, widely described as the “de facto leader” of Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, represents the most significant leadership loss since the war began.
- Morteza Larijani, Ali Larijani’s son, was also confirmed killed alongside his father.
- Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was reportedly killed in a precision strike on March 18.
- Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of the Basij paramilitary forces, who died in a targeted strike in central Tehran on March 17.
- Recent reports indicate that Israel now has standing authorization to carry out “decapitation strikes” on senior Iranian officials without case-by-case government approval, a policy shift that explains the rapid succession of high-profile deaths.
The toll of the conflict
Now in its 21st day, the war between Iran, the United States, and Israel has caused widespread destruction across the region. Iran has borne the brunt of the conflict, with over 2,300 people killed, including more than 1,300 civilians, nearly 200 of them children under the age of 12.
The war began on February 28, following a joint strike by Israel and the United States on Iranian territory, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials. In response, Iran launched missile and drone strikes on US military installations and strategic sites across West Asia, including Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Iranian authorities have since signaled that they would suspend strikes on neighboring countries as long as their territories are not used for attacks against Iran.
Economic and global consequences
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has sent oil prices soaring, reportedly rising by 40 to 50 percent. Energy disruptions have forced countries such as Sri Lanka to ration fuel using digital QR codes. The Pentagon has requested an additional $200 billion in supplemental funding for the war, which analysts estimate cost the United States $12 billion in its first week alone.
