Iran appoints six new commanders to Armed Forces, IRGC, Basij

By separate decrees issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, six senior commanders and managers have been appointed to positions within the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the Basij Organization. These appointments aim to strengthen the defensive, operational, and managerial capabilities of the Armed Forces.

Major General Ali Abdollahi has been appointed as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Abdollahi is a veteran commander with a diverse career spanning the IRGC, Law Enforcement Command (Faraja), Ministry of Interior, and the General Staff. He has held roles including commander of the 16th Quds Division of Gilan, chief of staff of the IRGC Ground Forces, head of the IRGC Inspectorate, and deputy commander of the IRGC Air Force. He also served as Governor of Semnan and Gilan, and Deputy Minister of Interior for Security and Law Enforcement Affairs. Recently, he commanded the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari has been appointed as Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Heydari is a veteran of the Army Ground Forces, having served in the 81st Armored Division of Kermanshah during the Sacred Defense era. He held various commands, including Commander of the Army Ground Forces since 2016. He has been awarded the Order of Fath (Conquest), First Class.

Major General Ahmad Vahidi has been promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC. Vahidi is a veteran IRGC commander who led the Quds Force in the 1990s. He served as Minister of Defense from 2009 to 2013 and has been president of the Supreme National Defense University and a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.

Major General Mostafa Izadi has been appointed as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC. Izadi is a Sacred Defense veteran who previously commanded the IRGC Ground Forces and has held roles in the General Staff, focusing on emerging threats and cyber warfare.

Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei has been appointed as Commander of the IRGC Navy. Ozmaei has served in the Persian Gulf region, commanding the IRGC Navy's Fifth Region and previously serving as Deputy Commander of the IRGC Navy.

Hojjatoleslam val-Moslemin Hossein Taeb has been appointed as President of the Basij Organization. Taeb has a long career in the IRGC, including roles as IRGC Intelligence Deputy, Commander of the Basij Resistance Force, and Chief of the IRGC Intelligence Organization from 2009 to 2022.

According to Mehr News Agency, these appointments are part of efforts to enhance the defensive and operational capabilities of Iran's Armed Forces.