5 Iranian IRGC Quds Force Advisers Killed in Iraq, Raising Questions Over Their Role There

31/07/2026

5 Iranian IRGC Quds Force Advisers Killed in Iraq, Raising Questions Over Their Role There

TEHRAN, Jul 31: The bodies of five members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) killed in what Iranian media described as recent US and Saudi attacks in Iraq were returned to Iran through the Mehran border crossing, Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency reported on Friday.

Mizan published photographs showing flag-draped coffins arriving at the border but did not identify the five members or explain the discrepancy with earlier Iranian reports that put the death toll among IRGC personnel at four. Earlier Iranian media identified the four as Ali Asghar Astaneh, Abolfazl Motaghi, Morteza Akbari and Amir Abbas Derhamforoush. The reports said they were members of the IRGC Quds Force carrying out security-related duties linked to preparations for the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Iranian reports have not provided specific details about their individual assignments.

The broader context is more complicated. The U.S. military said its July 28 strikes in Iraq targeted Iran-aligned armed groups that it said were directed by the IRGC and had attempted attacks on U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure. Reuters has also reported that the IRGC established covert cells in Iraq that Iraqi officials accused of carrying out drone attacks against Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. However, there is no independent evidence establishing that the five IRGC personnel killed in the strikes were involved in those attacks. Their precise activities at the time of the strikes remain unclear.