Mojtaba Khamenei Appoints Two Generals to Lead Iran's Armed Forces and IRGC

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed two generals to lead the Iranian Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The decision marks Mojtaba’s first senior military appointments since he succeeded his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an attack by the United States and Israel in late February 2026. “Major General Ali Abdollahi has been appointed as chief of staff of the armed forces. Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi has also been appointed as Supreme Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with the rank of major general,” the Khamenei website stated, as cited by Al Arabiya on Monday (11/8/2026). Abdollahi previously led Khatam al-Anbiya, Iran’s central cross-branch military command responsible for coordinating operations. Since Iran became embroiled in war with the United States, he has issued threats to neighbouring countries in the region. Abdollahi said that any country serving as a defensive shield for America would be consumed by the flames of war. Meanwhile, former IRGC supreme commander Mohsen Rezaei has been appointed as head of Iran’s highest national security body. He replaces Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who resigned. “In view of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr’s resignation from his position as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and his appointment to a new function, President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Mohsen Rezaei as head of this body,” presidential spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei said via his X account on Sunday (9/8/2026). Rezaei, now 71, led the Revolutionary Guard from 1981 to 1997, a tenure that covered almost the entire Iran-Iraq War. He subsequently held several high-ranking political posts and most recently served as military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. In July, Rezaei stated that control over the Strait of Hormuz, which remains a central point of contention between Iran and the US, was vital, describing it as more important than dozens of atomic bombs. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, also a former IRGC commander, was appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in March 2026. He will now serve as political adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei.