The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, reshuffled the military and security leadership this Monday, appointing the major general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ali Abdulahi, as the new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
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Abdulahi, who currently commands the Central Headquarters Jatam al Anbiya – one of the main commands of the Iranian Army – served as governor and deputy minister during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency (2005-2013). He is sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury.
The ayatollah has also appointed Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari, who was commander of the Army Ground Forces, as the new deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
He has also appointed Hosein Taeb, former head of the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guard, as the new leader of the paramilitary Basij force, replacing Gholamreza Soleimani, who died during the bombings against Iran following the offensive launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel.
The ayatollah has also formalized the positions of Ahmad Vahidi as the new commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guard; Mostafa Izadi as deputy commander-in-chief; and Admiral Ali Azmaei as commander of the Navy of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, replacing Alireza Tangsiri, who died during the bombings.
These important appointments come hours after Khamenei appointed former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee as the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), the country’s highest security body.
