Iran Supreme Leader Names New Armed Forces Chief, IRGC Commander

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on Monday appointed Revolutionary Guards General Ali Abdollahi as the country’s new armed forces chief, consolidating his authority over Iran’s military leadership.

Khamenei also confirmed a new commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), further reshaping the country’s top military command.

Abdollahi previously headed the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s joint military command responsible for coordinating operations across the armed forces.

An statement on Khamenei’s website announced that “Major General Ali Abdollahi has been appointed chief of staff of the armed forces. Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has also been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with the rank of major general.”

The pair represent Khamenei’s first senior military appointments since being named supreme leader early in the Middle East war after the death of his father in US-Israeli strikes.

Abdollahi has issued bellicose threats over the course of the war, warning regional neighbours earlier this month that “any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war.”

Channels/AFP