Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has issued decrees appointing a new head of the country's top security body and six senior commanders to key military positions, part of a major reshuffle following the recent war with the US and Israel. The appointments span Iran's security and military establishment, including the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the IRGC Navy, and the Basij Organization.
On Sunday, Mohsen Rezaei, a longtime IRGC commander and veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, was appointed head of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Baqer Zolqadr. Major General Ali Abdollahi was appointed chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Iran's highest military coordinating body overseeing both the regular armed forces and the IRGC, replacing Abdolrahim Mousavi.
Rezaei was appointed the first commander of the IRGC in 1981.
Rezaei commanded numerous operations against Iraqi forces during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War and remained at the helm of the IRGC until 1997. After that, he served as secretary of the Expediency Council until 2021, ran unsuccessfully for president four times, and was vice president for economic affairs under President Ebrahim Raisi. In 2020, he was added to the US Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List.
Abdollahi, who hails from Gilan province, has held senior military and government positions since the 1979 revolution. He served as deputy to then-IRGC Aerospace Force commander Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf in the 1980s and later became a senior commander in Iran's Law Enforcement Forces. He also served as governor of Semnan and Gilan provinces during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency and as deputy interior minister. He is currently under US Treasury sanctions.
Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari was appointed deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, reporting to Abdollahi. Heydari hails from Kermanshah province and comes from an army background, unlike the other appointees. He joined the army during the Iran-Iraq War, initially as a volunteer Basiji, and rose through the ranks to command the army's ground forces. He was appointed deputy commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters following the 12-day war last year.
Major General Ahmad Vahidi, a veteran IRGC commander, was appointed top commander of the IRGC. Vahidi joined the IRGC after the 1979 revolution, served on the front lines during the Iran-Iraq War, and headed the IRGC's intelligence organization. After the war, he was appointed commander of the IRGC's Quds Force and later held senior political positions, including deputy defense minister, defense minister, and interior minister. He was appointed deputy commander of the IRGC in December 2025 and succeeded Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour after Pakpour was killed in the recent war.
Major General Mostafa Izadi was appointed deputy commander of the IRGC, replacing Vahidi. Izadi joined the IRGC shortly after the 1979 revolution and has held various positions for more than four decades, including commander of the IRGC Ground Forces and deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Rear Admiral Ali Ozamaei was appointed commander of the IRGC Navy. Ozamaei joined the armed forces during the Iran-Iraq War and has served in various naval commands, including heading the Fifth Naval District from 2012 to 2025.
Hossein Taeb, a former IRGC intelligence chief, was appointed head of the Basij Organization, a paramilitary volunteer force and major component of the IRGC. The appointments come amid an increasingly complex regional security environment marked by heightened tensions across West Asia and growing strategic and military challenges. Observers say Iran's new military nominations empower the hardline old guard and prioritize loyalty over military innovation.
The information in this article was compiled from a single source and has not been independently verified.
