Top Iranian Military Figures Killed In Plane Crash

In a scantly reported development, (one reason being it could be entirely false,) according to Iran Focus, up to seven members of the General Command of the IRGC Ground Forces have been killed.

Tehran, Iran, Jan. 09 – A dozen senior commanders of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) died in a plane crash in northwest Iran on Monday, a government spokesman announced.

A Falcon jet belonging to the IRGC crashed 13 kilometres southeast of Lake Orumieh, killing all 15 passengers on board. They included seven members of the General Command of the IRGC Ground Forces.

The commanders who died in the crash included Brigadier General Ahmad Kazemi, commander of the IRGC Ground Forces and a rising star in Iran’s radical Islamist military, Brigadier General Saeed Mohtadi, commander of the IRGC’s 27 Mohammad Division, Brigadier General Hanif, Director of Intelligence of the IRGC Ground Forces, Brigadier General Soleimani, Director of Operations of the IRGC Ground Forces, and Brigadier General Yazdani, Commander of the IRGC Artillery.

Statements out of Iran first blamed the crash on bad weather and a fuel shortage, but a later statement said that both engines had failed. In a country like Iran, who could speculate as to how this will play out.

With nothing reported yet on Reuters or the AP, this story may turn out to be false. We'll have to keep tabs.

Hat tip to Right Nation.