Hours after issuing fiery warning to US-Israel, Iran Guard spokesman Naini killed

Tehran: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Friday that their spokesperson, Ali Mohammad Naini, was killed in US-Israel airstrikes, marking a major escalation in the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Naini “was martyred in the criminal, cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn,” the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

The news of Naini's killing came hours after his remarks against US and Israel were quoted by local media. The death comes as the region faces a surge in attacks on energy infrastructure. Firefighters battled a blaze at Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery on Friday after a drone strike, while Iran maintained its wave of retaliatory strikes on neighbouring countries. Authorities in Kuwait and Qatar reported damage at key oil and gas facilities, fueling concerns over global energy supply.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the conflict on Thursday, claiming, “We are winning and Iran is being decimated. This war is ending a lot faster than people think,” though he did not provide a specific timeline.

Despite the assassination campaign and sustained bombardment, Iran’s leadership vowed to continue production of strategic weapons. “Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production,” Naini had told Fars news agency shortly before his death.

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Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for roughly a fifth of global oil and LNG shipments, and state media reported further missile launches targeting Israel overnight and Friday morning, with blasts heard in Jerusalem. No casualties were reported in the latest wave.

The escalating strikes have already triggered sharp rises in global oil and gas prices, raising fears of longer-term disruptions to international energy markets.