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This is a list of Iranian leaders of the
Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Artesh''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepah'') and the Polic ...
during the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...
(1980–1988).


Leaders

;
Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces The position of Commander-in-Chief (''Farmandehe Koll-e Qova'' (), formerly known as ''Bozorg Arteshtārān'' (), is the ultimate authority of all the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, and the highest possible military position within the I ...
*
Abolhassan Banisadr Abolhassan Banisadr (; 22 March 1933 – 9 October 2021) was an Iranian politician, writer, and political dissident. He was the first president of Iran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution abolished the monarchy, serving from February 1980 until h ...
(''Start of War'' – 10 June 1981) *
Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...
(10 June 1981 – ''End of War'') **
Akbar Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani (25 August 19348 January 2017) was an Iranian cleric, politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic, Rafsanjani was the ...
, acted as the ''de facto'' commander-in-chief since mid-1980s and was later officially appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief on 2 June 1988 ***
Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...
, served as deputy to second-in-command since 1988


Military commanders


Strategic level


Islamic Republic of Iran Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

; Chief-of-Staff * Brig. Gen.
Valiollah Fallahi Valiollah Fallahi () (1931 – 29 September 1981) was an Iranian military officer and prominent figure during the Iran–Iraq War. Career Fallahi served as commander ground forces. Until June 1980 he was the deputy commander of joint staff. He was ...
(''Start of War'' – 29 September 1981) * Brig. Gen.
Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad Qasem-Ali Zahir Nejad (; 1924 – 13 October 1999) was an Iranian military officer and military figure in the Iran–Iraq War. Zahirnejad began studies in the Imam Ali Military University in 1951. He retired from the army in 1976 as a colonel. A ...
(1 October 1981 – 25 October 1984) * Col. Esmaeil Sohrabi (25 October 1984 – 1988) * Brig. Gen.
Ali Shahbazi Ali Shahbazi () is the former commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army. Career Shahbazi was appointed by Rafsanjani as the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Joint Staff on 7 May 1988. Shahbazi was the first commander-in-chief of the Ir ...
(1988 – ''End of War'') ;
Ground Force ''Ground Force'' is a British garden makeover television series originally broadcast by the BBC between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh. Production The series was created b ...
* Brig. Gen.
Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad Qasem-Ali Zahir Nejad (; 1924 – 13 October 1999) was an Iranian military officer and military figure in the Iran–Iraq War. Zahirnejad began studies in the Imam Ali Military University in 1951. He retired from the army in 1976 as a colonel. A ...
(''Start of War'' – 1 October 1981) * Col. Ali Sayyad Shirazi (1 October 1981 – Spring 1986) * Col.
Hossein Hassani-Sadi Hossein Hassani-Sa'di () was an Iranian Islamic Republic of Iran Army, regular military (''Artesh'') officer who is serving as the deputy commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters. Military career Hassani-Sa'di served at the 81 Armo ...
(Spring 1986 – ''End of War'') ;
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
* Col. Javad Fakoori (''Start of War'' – 29 September 1981) * Col. Mohammad-Hossein Moinpour (2 October 1981 – 25 November 1983) * Col. Houshang Seddigh (25 November 1983 – 1986) * Col. Mansour Sattari (1986 – ''End of War'') ;
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
* Cpt. Bahram Afzali (''Start of War'' – 30 April 1983) * Cpt. Esfandiar Hosseini (30 April 1983 – 25 June 1985) * Cpt. Mohammad-Hossein Malekzadegan (25 June 1985 – ''End of War'')


Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

;Commander-in-Chief * Morteza Rezaee (''Start of War'' –) * Mohsen Rezaei (11 September 1981 – ''End of War'') ;
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
* Alireza Afshar (November 1984 – ) *
Mohammad Forouzandeh Mohammad Forouzandeh (; born in 1960) is an Iranian politician and security figure. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is a ...
(– ''End of War'') *
Gholam Ali Rashid Major general Gholam Ali Rashid (; 1953 – 13 June 2025) was an Iranian military officer who served as the commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters. He was killed during the Israeli strikes on Iran on 13 June 2025. Early life Rash ...
(as one of the senior commanders of IRGC) ;
Basij The Basij (, lit. ''The Mobilization'') or Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (, lit. ''Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed''), is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five ...
* Amir Majd (''Start of War'' – December 1981) * Ahmad Salek (December 1981 –) * Mohammad-Ali Rahmani (16 February 1984 – ''End of War'') ;
Ground Force ''Ground Force'' is a British garden makeover television series originally broadcast by the BBC between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh. Production The series was created b ...
*
Yahya Rahim Safavi Yahya "Rahim" Safavi (, born 1952) is an Iranian military commander who served as the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Currently , Safavi is serving as a senior military advisor to the leader of the Islamic revolution. Ad ...
(1985–) * Ali Shamkhani (May 1986 –) ;
Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
* Akbar Rafan (1985 – ''End of War'') ;
Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
* Hossein Alaei (1985 – ''End of War'')


Operational level


Islamic Republic of Iran Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

;Division commanders * Col. Hassan Abshenasan * Col. Masoud Monfared Niyaki * Col. Hasan Aghareb Parast


Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

;Division commanders * Hossein Kharrazi *
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...
* Ahmad Kazemi * Mohammad Boroujerdi * Ebrahim Hemmat *
Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...
* Mehdi Bakeri * Ahmad Motevaselian * Mehdi Zeinoddin * Mahmoud Kaveh * Ali Hashemi (Commander) * Sabz Ali Khodadad (
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
)


Ministers

;
Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
*
Mostafa Chamran Mostafa Chamran Save'ei () (2 October 1932 – 21 June 1981) was an Iranian physicist, politician, commander and guerrilla fighter who served as the first defense minister of post-revolutionary Iran and a member of parliament as well as the ...
(''Start of War'' – 29 October 1980) * Col. Javad Fakoori (–September 1980) * Col.
Mousa Namjoo Mousa Namjoo (; 17 December 1938 – 29 September 1981) was an Iranian military officer who served as the minister of defence from August to September 1981. Biography Namjoo was born in Bandar-e Anzali on 17 December 1938. He graduated from Off ...
(17–29 September 1981) * Col.
Mohammad Salimi Mohammad Salimi (; 1937– 2016) was an Iranian military who served as the 6th Minister of Defense in November 1981 to August 1984 and the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army in 2000 to 2005. Biography Salimi was born in Mashhad in 19 ...
(October 1981 – October 1985) * Col.
Mohammad Hossein Jalali Mohammad Hossein Jalali () is an Iranian military official who served as minister of defense. Career Jalali was appointed minister of defense in October 1985 to the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi. He replaced Mohammad Sali ...
(October 1985 – ''End of War'') ; Minister of Revolutionary Guards *
Mohsen Rafighdoost Mohsen Rafighdoust (also Rafiqdoust, ) is an Iranian terrorist and Revolutionary Guards military officer and conservative politician. He is a member of the Islamic Coalition Party. Early life Rafighdoost was born around 1940 in south Tehran. His ...
(November 1982 – ''End of War'')


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Iranian commanders in the Iran-Iraq War Iranian military personnel of the Iran–Iraq War Iranian military commanders Iranian military-related lists Lists of Iranian military personnel