Who are Iran's new military commanders?

Iran-Iraq war veterans replace Iranian top brass killed by Israel

Brig Gen Amir Hatami, the new chief commander of the Iranian army, pictured in 2018. AFP

Veterans of the Iran-Iraq war are among those replacing the Iranian commanders killed in Israel’s attacks, as experts warn the force could soon start filling its top ranks with a younger generation of hardliners.

The latest appointments are Maj Gen Amir Hatami as chief commander of the Iranian army, and Brig Gen Majid Mousavi, who becomes commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' aerospace force, Iranian state news agency Irna reported on Saturday.

Mr Hatami served as defence minister from 2013 to 2021. He will replace Maj Gen Seyyed Abdulrahim Mousavi who will now lead the Iranian military as its chief of staff. Maj Gen Mousavi's predecessor, Mohammad Bagheri, was killed in the Israeli air strikes on Friday.

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The new commander-in-chief of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is Brig Gen Mohammad Pakpour, who threatened to open “the gates of hell” in retaliation for Israel’s attacks. He joined the IRGC after the 1979 revolution, in which he fought armed groups in the Kurdistan region.

“In retribution for the blood of our fallen commanders, scientists and citizens, the gates of hell will soon be opened upon this child-killing regime,” he said upon assuming the role on Friday.

Iranian army spokesman Brig Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi said the four newly appointed commanders “will advance the path of their predecessors with full power”.

Maj Gen Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi will succeed Mohammad Bagheri as the Iranian armed forces' chief of staff. AFP

Lessons from the Iran-Iraq war

The eight-year war between Iran and Iraq shaped the Iranian military system, and its veterans are likely to draw lessons from there.

Maj Gen Hatami was part of the volunteer Basij forces during the conflict and was honoured for his pushback against the dissident militant group Mojahedin e-Khalq (MEK). Maj Gen Mousavi is also said to have played a leading role in the 1980s conflict.

Brig Gen Pakpour commanded frontline divisions during the Iran-Iraq war, including the elite 8th Najaf Ashraf and 31st Ashura units, where he was wounded in combat, according to Iranian news network Press TV.

“The old generation of Guards is very ideological, but it is also risk-averse because it knows the devastation of war,” said Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

The Iran-Iraq war equipped the Iranian military to replace its top brass at speed. “This is a system that endured the war with Iraq. They have been prepared for such a scenario,” Mr Azizi told The National.

The dwindling number of veterans, however, could pave the way “step-by-step” for a new generation of military leaders who will take a more gung-ho approach to combat, and be less willing to come to the negotiating table, Mr Azizi fears.

“If the Islamic Republic can survive this war we will see a totally new creation in terms of hardliners,” he said.

Dwindling chain of command

Six high-ranking commanders are believed to have been killed on Friday, including the head of the IRGC Hossein Salami.

The IRGC's aerospace force – which handles Iran’s missiles – was the hardest hit, losing its commander, Brig Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, alongside 20 other senior officers who had convened for a meeting.

The Guards will struggle to replace the aerospace force losses due to the large number of high-ranking officers killed, Mr Azizi said.

Brig Gen Mohammad Pakpour replaces Hossein Salami as commander of the IRGC, AFP.

Two deputy commanders of the Iranian army were also killed in the Israeli attacks, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, without naming them or the time of their deaths.

Esmail Qaani, the leader of the Quds Force – a branch of the IRGC that supports Iran’s regional proxies – is also reported to have been killed on Friday, but no replacement has been announced yet.

Quds Force leader Esmail Qaani, pictured, centre, at a funeral in October, was killed on Friday. EPA