Rania Abushamala
10 August 2026•Update: 10 August 2026
- Kioumars Heydari, Mostafa Izadi, Ali Azmaei and Hossein Taeb appointed to other senior military posts, according to state media
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued decrees Monday appointing six senior military commanders, including successors to four commanders killed in the Israeli-US attacks, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
Ali Abdollahi was appointed chief of staff of the Armed Forces, succeeding Abdolrahim Mousavi, while Ahmad Vahidi was named commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), succeeding Mohammad Pakpour.
In separate decrees, Kioumars Heydari was appointed deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces, while Mostafa Izadi was named deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC.
Khamenei also appointed Ali Azmaei commander of the IRGC Navy, succeeding slain Alireza Tangsiri.
Hossein Taeb was appointed head of the IRGC’s Basij Organization, succeeding slain Gholamreza Soleimani.
In the decrees, Khamenei called for the “continuous and comprehensive development” of military capabilities to achieve “maximum deterrence,” along with readiness to conduct “powerful offensive operations against the enemy.”
He also ordered the enhancement of the Armed Forces’ and Basij’s “comprehensive and up-to-date defense and security capabilities” and the provision of an effective response to all levels of conventional, modern, cognitive and hybrid military threats.
Khamenei further called for completing the integration of the Armed Forces General Staff and the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, based on directives from the late supreme leader.
Iran is engaged in military conflict with Washington since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Tehran in February, fueling regional tensions. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting regional countries hosting US military assets.
Iran and the US agreed to a ceasefire in April and subsequently signed a memorandum of understanding in June aimed at ending their military conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.
The deal, however, collapsed last month with Tehran and Washington exchanging attacks for nearly two weeks before US President Donald Trump abruptly halted the bombardment amid reports of talks to resolve the conflict.
