According to the Revolutionary Guards, the colonel was shot outside his house in the capital by two perpetrators who the guards claim have links to "global arrogance", which is considered to be aimed at the United States and its allies, including Israel.
The colonel is the most high-profile person murdered in Iran since nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was shot dead in November 2020. That murder accused Iran Israel of being behind it.
The Guard's special force Quds is responsible for Iran's operations abroad, for example in Syria and Lebanon, and according to Iranian news agencies, the colonel worked within Quds.
The United States has branded the Revolutionary Guards terrorist on the grounds that Iran is using force to commit and finance terrorist crimes abroad.