The Israeli Army has announced that last Friday it carried out an operation in Tehran in which, it claims, was “eliminated” Mohammad Reza Ashrafi Kahi, identified as a high-ranking commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
A key official in the financing of the military apparatus
According to an official statement, Ashrafi held the position of head of Trade of the Oil Headquarters, a structure that, according to Israel, allows sustaining the military activities of the Revolutionary Guard through income from crude oil sales.
The Israeli Army maintains that this system facilitates evading international sanctions and guarantees the financing of strategic operations of the Iranian regime.
Millionaire income and support to regional allies
Israeli authorities estimate that commercial operations under their supervision generated billions of dollars annually, resources that, according to the statement, were also used to support allied groups in the region such as Hezbollah or Hamas.
Likewise, Israel claims that these funds were used for the acquisition of ballistic missiles and drones, used in attacks both against Israeli territory and against other Gulf countries.
An impact on the Iranian economic structure, according to Israel
From the Israeli Government they consider that the death of Ashrafi represents "a significant blow to the economic foundations of the Iranian security apparatus", by affecting one of the key channels of financing of the military system.
For the moment, the Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed the death nor have they commented on the operation.