On Friday, March 20, 2026, the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (Tzva ha-Hagana le-Yisra’el, IDF) reported on social media the elimination of Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naini, since 2024 the spokesperson and head of public relations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Photo: Mehr News Agency
As the announcement stated: “Naini served in several propaganda and public relations roles. In his role as the IRGC’s main propagandist for the past 2 years, he disseminated the regime’s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East in order to influence and advance terror attacks against Israel.”
Ali Mohammad Naini was born in 1957 in Kashan, in Isfahan Province in central Iran, and was a professor of social sciences (PhD in strategic management; previously a master’s degree in defense management and a bachelor’s degree in education), as well as a faculty member at Imam Hossein University in Tehran. He joined the IRGC in 1978 and fought in the Iran–Iraq War, during which he was wounded. The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Naini following Iranian missile attacks on Israel on October 1, 2024.
He specialized in psychological operations, soft warfare, and cognitive warfare. He previously held positions including Deputy for Cultural Affairs in the IRGC and in the Basij paramilitary forces, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Javan daily (published by the IRGC), and contributor to the Fars and Tasnim news agencies.
In 2024, he replaced Brig. Gen. Ramazan Sharif as IRGC spokesperson, having been appointed by then-commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami (who was killed in an Israeli strike on June 15, 2025, during Operation Rising Lion).
In the context of the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, Naini regularly appeared in state media. Among other statements, he said that Iran was fully prepared for a high-intensity war lasting at least six months, that only first- and second-generation missiles and drones had been used so far (with more advanced systems held in reserve), that weapons stockpiles remained largely intact, and that missile production continued despite attacks (responding to remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). A few hours before his death, he stated, among other things: “These people expect the war to continue until the enemy is completely exhausted.”
🔴ELIMINATED: Ali Mohammad Naini, the Spokesperson and Head of the Public Relations Array of the IRGC.
Naini served in several propaganda and public relations roles. In his role as the IRGC's main propagandist for the past 2 years, he disseminated the regime's terrorist… pic.twitter.com/e29Elb16FS
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 20, 2026