At Least Four IRGC Members Killed In US-Saudi Strikes In Iraq, Iranian Media Says
At Least Four IRGC Members Killed In US-Saudi Strikes In Iraq, Iranian Media Says Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 04:59 IST The US
At Least Four IRGC Members Killed In US-Saudi Strikes In Iraq, Iranian Media Says Published By, Last Updated: July 30, 2026, 04:59 IST The US and Saudi Arabia confirmed that they carried out joint strikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq late on Tuesday. Mourners carry one of the bodies of members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or PMF who were killed earlier in Diyala in central Iraq by US-Saudi strikes. (AFP photo) At least four members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in overnight US-Saudi strikes in Iraq, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. Iran’s 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 report said they were killed in a US-Saudi strike in Iraq’s northern Diyala province but did not provide further details about their roles or the circumstances of their deaths.
Al Jazeera, citing Iranian sources, also reported that at least four people linked to the IRGC were killed in the joint attack. Meanwhile, The New York Times, citing a US official, reported that around 20 Iranian advisers were killed in the US-Saudi strikes, including IRGC members and technical advisers. According to the official, the sites were deliberately targeted because of the presence of the advisers and to weaken the ability of Iran-backed militias to launch missiles and drones. Earlier, Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-integrated paramilitary group with factions close to Tehran, said at least 20 of its fighters were killed and 32 others injured in the strikes across seven provinces, including Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk and Basra. US says strikes targeted Iran-backed groups The US and Saudi Arabia had confirmed that they carried out joint strikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq late on Tuesday.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation targeted “logistics and weapons sites" across eastern Iraq and was carried out in response to more than 30 drone attacks over the previous 72 hours that it said were directed by the IRGC against US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. The joint attack came after Saudi Arabia said its air defences had intercepted and destroyed drones targeting oil facilities in its Eastern Province. Riyadh blamed Iran-aligned armed groups operating from Iraqi territory. Iraq’s Security Council condemned the US-Saudi operation as “an unacceptable aggression", according to the Iraqi News Agency. It said the strikes took place while Baghdad was in contact with US and Saudi officials over attacks on Saudi territory. US President Donald Trump had said that the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Iraqi government, though Baghdad has rejected any violation of its sovereignty.
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