The Fath Medal ( fa, نشان فتح, meaning ''Conquer Medal'') is a military award of the

Iranian armed forces The Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Arteš''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepâh'') and the Law Enforcement Force (Police). Iran ...

which is awarded by Commander-in-chief,

Supreme Leader of Iran The Supreme Leader of Iran ( fa, رهبر ایران, rahbar-e irān) is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader directs the executive system and judicial system of the Islamic theocratic government and is the co ...

. The medal is the likeness of three

Palm leaves The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees. ...

over

Khorramshahr Khorramshahr ( fa, خرمشهر , also Romanization, romanized as ''Khurramshahr'', ar, المحمرة, romanized as ''Al-Muhammerah'') is a city and capital of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population wa ...

's grand

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

(as a symbol of resistance), Flag of Iran and the word "Fath". The medal is awarded in three grades, typically based on the rank of the recipient.

Recipients

According to Owain Raw-Rees, the medal is awarded in three grades. Senior commanders are typically awarded a first class medal, Colonels and Brigadiers usually receive a second class award, while third class awards are granted to those ranked at or below Lieutenant Colonel. However, these guidelines are not applied strictly. The first recipient of the Order of Fath, First Class, was Mohammad Hossein Fahmideh, one of three to receive the honour on September 27, 1989. Fahmideh's award was posthumous as he was killed in November 1980 when, as a 13-year-old boy, he was fighting in the Iran–Iraq War. He disabled an Iraqi tank by jumping under it while wearing a belt of grenades from which he had removed the pins. In so doing, Fahmideh halted the advance of a line of tanks. Khomeini declared Fahmideh a national hero, stating that the "value of ahmideh'slittle heart is greater than could be described by hundreds of tongues and hundreds of pens" and also calling him "our guide" who "threw himself under the enemy's tank with a grenade and destroyed it, thus drinking the elixir of matyrdom." Khomeini's regime went on to provide a knapsack to every school child in Iran that showed "Fahmideh's heroic sacrifice under the tank and the grenades he used to blow himself up," and to include Fahmideh's story alongside that of other martyrs in textbooks intended to improve childhood literacy.

First recipients: 1989

The first Order of Fath medals were conferred on September 27, 1989, after the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations S ...

, with three recipients of the award at First Class level: * Mohammad Hossein Fahmideh, 13-year-old volunteer soldier of Basij (

KIA Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

in 1980) * Mohsen Rezaei, commander of

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

Ali Sayad Shirazi Ali Sayyad Shirazi ( fa, علی صیاد شیرازی, June 1944 – 10 April 1999) was an Iranian regular military (''Artesh'') officer. He served as commander of the Ground Force during Iran–Iraq War. He was assassinated by Mojahedin-e Kh ...

, commander of

Islamic Republic of Iran Army , founded = , current_form = (Islamic Republic) , disbanded = , branches = , headquarters = Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Tehran , website = , commander-in-chief = Maj. Gen. ...

Alongside them, 21 people received 2nd class medal and 29 people received the 3rd class medal.

1990

On February 4, 1990, a total of 210 men received the medal. Some of the recipients in the ceremony included:

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

Abbas Babaei Abbas Babaei ( fa, عباس بابایی) (5 December 1950 – 6 August 1987) was an Iranian Air Force pilot who served as Brigadier-General during the Iran-Iraq War. Education He was born in a middle class religious family in Qazvin in 1950. ...

(

, 2nd grade) *

Jalil Zandi Jalil Zandi ( fa, جلیل زندی; 1951–2001) was a fighter pilot in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) who served during all of the Iran–Iraq War. His combat record qualifies him as one of the most successful pilots of that conf ...

(2nd grade) *

Mansour Sattari Mansour Sattari ( fa, منصور ستاری; also Romanized as Mansoor Sattari) (19 May 1948 – 5 January 1995) was an Iranian Air Force Brigadier general. After serving his compulsory military service in the Army Artillery branch, he joine ...

(2nd grade) * Mohammad Daneshpour (2nd Grade) * Massoud Monfared Niyaki (

, 2nd grade) * Mostafa Ardestani (

, 2nd grade)

Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution

Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat ( fa, محمدابراهیم همت, April 2, 1955 in Shahreza, Isfahan Province – March 7, 1984 in Majnoon Island, Iraq) was a teacher and an Iranian military leader. He was one of the highest ranking officers of the Isl ...

(

, 2nd grade) *

Mehdi Bakeri Mehdi Bakeri ( fa, مهدی باکری‎; 1954 – 16 March 1985) was an Iranian war hero in the Iran–Iraq War. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tabriz. During the Iranian revolution of 1979 he joined the proteste ...

(

, 2nd grade) * Hossein Kharrazi (

, 2nd grade) *

Yahya Rahim Safavi Yahya "Rahim" Safavi ( fa, یحیی (رحیم) صفوی, born 1952) is an Iranian military commander who served as the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Early life Safavi was born in 1952 in the city of Isfahan, Iran. C ...

(2nd grade) *

Mohammad Ali Jafari Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari ( fa, محمدعلی جعفری, born 1 September 1957, also known as Aziz Jafari and Ali Jafari) is a former commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps from 2007 to 2019. He was appointed by S ...

(3rd grade) *

Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani ( fa, قاسم سلیمانی, ; 11 March 19573January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until his assassination in 2020, he was the commander of the Qu ...

(3rd grade) *

Ahmad Kazemi Ahmad Kazemi ( fa, احمد کاظمی) (22 July 1958 – 9 January 2006) was an Iranian commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and one of the most notable commanders in Iran–Iraq War. Early life He was born on 22 July 1958 in Naja ...

(3rd grade)

Both

Ali Shamkhani Ali Shamkhani (Persian: , born 29 September 1955) is an Iranian two-star general. He is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. Early life and education Shamkhani was born on 29 September 1955 in Ahvaz, Khuzestan. His fam ...

(2nd grade)

2016

Ali Fadavi Ali Fadavi ( fa, علی فدوی) is an Iranian military officer who currently holds office as the second highest commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hierarchy. Early life and education He was born in 1961. Fadavi studied at Isf ...

, commander of

Iranian Revolutionary Guards The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

, 1st grade.

2018

Habibollah Sayyari Habibollah Sayyari ( fa, حبیب‌الله سیاری, birth 1955) is the Coordinating Deputy of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the former Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (the "Regular Navy"). He is a former Marine Comma ...

, former commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, 1st grade.

Other famous recipients

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...

(1st grade) * Hassan Rouhani (2nd grade) * Mohammad Pakpour (1st grade)

References

External links

{{Highest gallantry awards Military awards and decorations of Iran Awards established in 1989 Islamic awards