Iran leader Khamenei announces reorganization of military, appoints new security chiefs
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, announced several new appointments and a reorganization of the country's military forces.
Ali Abdollahi, who previously served as head of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, will now head the newly unified Staff of the Armed Forces, which, on paper, will control both the regular military as well as the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Kioumars Heydari will be his deputy.
In addition, Ahmad Vahidi and Mostafa Izadi were confirmed as commander and deputy commander of the IRGC, respectively. Hossein Taeb, a veteran intelligence chief who is seen as a longtime confidant of Khamenei, was appointed to lead the Basij militia, which he had headed in the past.
The appointments were widely interpreted as an entrenchment of IRGC-affiliated officers seen as personally close to the new leader, who still hasn't appeared in public. President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed to have met with him for seven hours on Monday, saying Khamenei was "in excellent physical health" and listened "openly and attentively.”
