4 members of Iran’s IRGC killed in US-Saudi strike in Iraq: Report

Four members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in overnight US-Saudi airstrikes in Iraq‘s northern Diyala province, according to Iranian media on Wednesday.

Mehr News Agency identified the four as Ali Asghar Astaneh, Abolfazl Motaqi, Morteza Akbari and Amir Abbas Darhamforoush, saying they were all from the central Iranian city of Kashan.

The agency said they were killed in a US-Saudi attack in Diyala, but did not provide further details about their role or the circumstances of the strike.

The report came hours after Iranian media reported that several Iraqis wounded in the same strikes had been transferred to Iran through the Khosravi border crossing for medical treatment.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US and Saudi forces carried out joint precision strikes against targets linked to Iranian-aligned groups in Iraq, saying the operation targeted sites connected to attacks on US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia said the strikes were conducted in self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter following attacks launched from Iraqi territory against the kingdom’s petroleum facilities. Riyadh warned it would take further military action if Iran-backed groups carried out additional attacks.

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a predominantly Iran-backed coalition of Shiite armed groups, confirmed that several of its headquarters were hit in the strikes, killing at least 20 of its members, wounding 32 others and causing extensive property damage.

Iran has condemned the strikes as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.