Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has appointed a new army chief and a new Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander following Israeli airstrikes that killed three of the country’s most prominent military commanders, officials confirmed.
Khamenei cited Amir Hatami’s “dedication, competence, and experience” as the basis for his appointment, calling for a “transformative and revolutionary approach” under his leadership.
“With the Army’s vast pool of capable and faithful personnel, and the experience gained during the Sacred Defence and beyond, it is expected that under your command, efforts to enhance combat readiness, strengthen spiritual and ideological foundations, improve personnel welfare, and boost cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces will accelerate,” read the decree.
The leadership also praised outgoing commander Major General Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi for his “sincere and valuable efforts” during his tenure.
In the wake of the recent assassination of General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Major General Mousavi as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
Amir Hatami, a career officer from the regular army (Artesh) with the rank of Major General, has extensive combat experience. He will now lead the Iranian armed forces and also serve as adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for Army Affairs. He is also a former Minister of Defence.
Hatami becomes the first Minister of Defence from an Artesh background in more than two decades, a position held exclusively by Revolutionary Guards officers since 1989. He previously served as head of the Army's international relations office and as a deputy within the armed forces’ general staff.
Later in the day, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Major General Mohammad Pakpour as the new IRGC commander.
Pakpour warned, “The criminal and illegitimate Zionist regime will suffer a bitter and painful fate with vast and destructive consequences.” His comments came just hours before Iran launched fierce retaliatory drone and missile strikes on Israeli targets.
Meanwhile, shortly after his appointment, the Iranian armed forces claimed to have shot down two Israeli F-35 fighter jets over Tehran. This came during Israel’s second wave of strikes, after the first reportedly failed to destroy several enrichment facilities across Iran.
Israel has not confirmed or denied the downing of its aircraft.
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