After the US attack on a site near Bandar Abbas airport on Wednesday, rumours began circulating on social media that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy chief Brig. Gen. Ali Azmaei may have been killed in the attack.
According to an Iranian conflict monitoring group, Iran Watcher, Azmaei may have been killed in the attack, though there is no official confirmation in this regard. Azmaei assumed the role of the chief of the IRGC Navy after former chief and commander, Alireza Tangsiri, was previously killed in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes in Bandar Abbas.
Azmaei led the IRGC's 5th Naval Region, which holds the critical responsibility of patrolling the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. He also reportedly helmed the 5th Naval Region and was the public face of Iranian maritime seizures in the Gulf, often announcing the interception of vessels accused of fuel smuggling.
State TV has denied that IRGC Brigadier General Ali Azmaei was killed in tonight’s strikes.
— The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷 (@TheIranWatcher) May 28, 2026
But such denials are far from definitive.
The same state media previously claimed President Raisi’s helicopter had safely landed in Tabriz and that the presidential convoy was returning… https://t.co/ZlwQOkooH0 pic.twitter.com/YYX6lxGSEL
Tthe IRGC has neither confirmed nor denied the report. Though the Iranian State Media claimed that the news of his death is not true, the same media had been known for its false reporting during the death of former President Ibrahim Raisi's helicopter.
“State TV has denied that IRGC Brigadier General Ali Azmaei was killed in tonight’s strikes. But such denials are far from definitive. The same state media previously claimed President Raisi’s helicopter had safely landed in Tabriz and that the presidential convoy was returning by land - before his death was later confirmed,” Iran Watcher added.
However, Iranian media said several members of the IRGC were killed in the attack, the identities of three of whom have been confirmed. Ali Hashem, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, claimed in a post on the social network X: “An Iranian source told me that the heavy gunfire heard near Bandar Abbas occurred after the IRGC targeted a ship at sea, and then American fighter jets attacked the IRGC’s naval boats in the Persian Gulf.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) added that it retaliated to the attack by targeting a US air base, according to a statement by its public relations office published by IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency. The IRGC said the strike at 4:50 a.m. served as a “serious warning,” adding that any further “aggression” would be met with a stronger response.
