Iran’s Khamenei Reshuffles Top Military, Security Leadership Amid War
Former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezaei takes over Iran’s top security body as Tehran tightens its military command amid confrontation with US and Israel
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday appointed Revolutionary Guards Major General Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces and named Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as the new commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), marking his first major military appointments since assuming the country’s highest office amid the ongoing Middle East war.
The appointments give Khamenei direct influence over the senior military leadership as Iran continues to face pressure from the United States and Israel following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US-Israeli strikes.
A statement published on Khamenei’s website said, “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.”
Abdollahi previously headed Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s inter-branch military command responsible for coordinating operations among the country’s armed forces.
His appointment places an experienced operational commander at the top of Iran’s military hierarchy as the conflict enters a critical phase.
Abdollahi has also issued increasingly forceful warnings during the war. Earlier this month, he warned regional countries against providing military support to the United States, saying that “any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war.”
Rezaei takes over top security body
The military changes came a day after former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei was appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, the country’s highest national security body.
Iranian presidency spokesman Mehdi Tabatabaei announced on Sunday that President Masoud Pezeshkian had appointed Rezaei following the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who had led the council since March.
“In light of the resignation of Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr from his position as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and his appointment to new functions, President Masoud Pezeshkian has named Mohsen Rezaei as the head of this body,” Tabatabaei said on X.
Rezaei, 71, commanded the IRGC from 1981 to 1997, covering nearly the entire Iran-Iraq war. He later held several senior political positions and served as a military adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei.
His return to the center of Iran’s national security apparatus comes as the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz has become increasingly pronounced in the confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
Rezaei said in July that control of the Strait of Hormuz was “more important than dozens of atomic bombs,” underscoring the importance Tehran attaches to the strategic waterway through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes.
Zolghadr, also a former IRGC commander, will now serve as a political adviser to Khamenei, according to a statement from the supreme leader’s office.
Khamenei consolidates military leadership
Taken together, the appointments represent an early effort by Mojtaba Khamenei to consolidate Iran’s military and national security leadership around senior figures with deep Revolutionary Guards backgrounds.
The changes come at a particularly sensitive moment for Tehran, with the IRGC playing a central role in Iran’s military response and the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major flashpoint in the confrontation with the United States.
The appointments of Abdollahi, Vahidi and Rezaei also place veterans of Iran’s security establishment in key positions spanning military command, the Revolutionary Guards and national security policy, potentially giving the new supreme leader a more cohesive leadership structure as Iran navigates the continuing conflict.