Iran Has Appointed New Commanders of the IRGC and Security Forces
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed six high-ranking commanders to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the paramilitary Basij force. Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has been officially confirmed as commander of the IRGC with the rank of major general, Al Jazeera reports.
Vahidi replaced Mohammad Pakpour, who, according to the publication, was killed in late February when the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Senior Iranian military officer Mustafa Izadi was appointed as Wahidi’s deputy. Wahidi took command of the IRGC in March, and on Monday he was officially confirmed in the position.
Major General Ali Abdolaghi was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Kiomars Heydari was named his deputy. Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei became commander of the IRGC’s naval forces. Hossein Taeb was appointed head of the “Basij”—an internal paramilitary force that reports directly to the Supreme Leader.
For more breaking news, follow the UA.News Telegram channel.
The day before, former IRGC Commander Mohsen Rezaei was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Khamenei’s representative on that body. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that all six appointed commanders had demonstrated their expertise during “two recent imposed wars.”
Ali Vaez, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the International Crisis Group, believes that these personnel decisions are intended both to strengthen Mojtaba Khamenei’s authority and to address vulnerabilities exposed by the two wars. According to experts interviewed by Al Jazeera, the appointments reinforce the role of trusted IRGC veterans, while Vahidi has been tasked with strengthening deterrence and maintaining readiness for “major offensive operations.”
