Key facts
- The IRGC claimed a US missile attack killed three of its personnel on July 30.
- The IRGC identified the deceased as Mahmoud Mollajabari, Mohammadreza Cheraghi, and Jamal Amiri.
- The IRGC stated the personnel died while defending Iran's borders.
- The IRGC described the strike as a 'brutal attack by the criminal terrorist regime of the United States'.
- The IRGC previously declared the Strait of Hormuz closed.
- The IRGC warned countries aiding the US would face a harsh response.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that a US missile attack on July 30 killed three of its personnel. The IRGC identified the deceased as Mahmoud Mollajabari, Mohammadreza Cheraghi, and Jamal Amiri, stating they died while defending Iran's borders and people. The IRGC described the strike as a 'brutal attack by the criminal terrorist regime of the United States'.
This development follows previous escalations, including US strikes on Iran that targeted cities and killed a family in Qeshm. The IRGC had previously declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and warned that countries aiding the US would face a harsh response. Iran's naval strategy, as highlighted by the IRGC-affiliated Hamshahri daily, relies on a fleet of speedboats employing 'swarm attack' tactics, which are presented as a significant challenge to US forces and a strategic tool for controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
Amidst the escalating conflict, Brigadier General Hossein Alaei, a former IRGC commander, had called for peace and stability, criticizing the collapse of a previous memorandum of understanding with the US. Separately, Iranian students in Belarus faced detention and deportation for social media posts critical of the Iranian government, with accusations of the Iranian Embassy's involvement in transnational repression. Brigadier General Majid Kazemi was also identified as one of two pilots killed in an attack on a US military base in Qatar.