The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: ستاد کل نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Setad-e Kol-e Niruha-ye Mosallah-e Jomhuri-ye Islami-ye Iran) is the most senior military body in Iran, to implement policy, monitor and coordinate activities within the Armed Forces.
| General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran | |
|---|---|
| ستاد کل نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (Persian) | |
Seal of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | |
Flag of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | |
Incumbent since 13 June 2025Abdolrahim Mousavi | |
| Iranian Armed Forces | |
| Type | General staff |
| Reports to | Military office of the Supreme Leader |
| Appointer | Supreme Leader of Iran |
| Formation | June 1988 |
| First holder | Hassan Firouzabadi |
| Deputy | Deputy chief |
Iran's two existing separate militaries, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Arteš) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepāh) are formally subordinate to the general staff, as well as Iran's sole national police force, the Police Command.
The organization was set up in 1989 to enhance cooperation and counterbalance the rivalry between the armed forces and is directly decreed by Supreme Leader of Iran, while the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, responsible for planning, logistics and funding of the armed forces is part of the executive branch under the President of Iran.
The staff's commander, Mohammed Bagheri, was killed along with 20 other senior officers during the series of Israeli strikes launched on 13 June 2025. He was replaced by Abdolrahim Mousavi.
List of chiefs
| No. | Portrait | Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Headquarters of the General Command of Forces | ||||||||
| – | Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1934–2017) Acting | June 1988 | 1988 | 0 years | none | – | ||
| 1 | Mir-Hossein Mousavi (born 1942) | 1988 | 1989 | 0–1 years | none | – | ||
| Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | ||||||||
| 1 | Major general Hassan Firouzabadi (1951–2021) | 26 September 1989 | 28 June 2016 | 26 years, 276 days | Basij | |||
| 2 | Major general Mohammad Bagheri (c. 1960–2025) | 28 June 2016 | 13 June 2025 † | 8 years, 350 days | IRGC | |||
| – | Rear admiral Habibollah Sayyari (born 1955) Acting | 13 June 2025 | 13 June 2025 | 0 days | NEDAJA | |||
| 3 | Major general Abdolrahim Mousavi (born 1960) | 13 June 2025 | Incumbent | 187 days | NEZAJA | |||
Timeline
List of deputy chiefs
| No. | Portrait | Deputy Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Chief | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major general Hassan Firouzabadi (1951–2021) | 1988 | 26 September 1989 | 0–1 years | Basij | Mir-Hossein Mousavi | – | |
| 2 | Major general Mohammad Forouzandeh (born 1960) | 30 September 1989 | 11 September 1993 | 3 years, 346 days | IRGC | Hassan Firouzabadi | – | |
| 3 | Lieutenant general Ali Sayad Shirazi (1944–1999) | 11 September 1993 | 10 April 1999 † | 5 years, 211 days | NEZAJA | Hassan Firouzabadi | – | |
| 4 | Major general Gholam Ali Rashid (1953–2025) | April 1999 | July 2016 | 17 years, 3 months | IRGC | Hassan Firouzabadi | – | |
| 5 | Major general Abdolrahim Mousavi (born 1960) | 5 July 2016 | August 2017 | 1 year | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | ||
| 6 | Major general Ataollah Salehi (born 1950) | August 2017 | 2 July 2019 | 1 year, 11 months | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | ||
| 7 | Brigadier general Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani (born c. 1960) | 2 July 2019 | 19 September 2021 | 2 years, 79 days | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | ||
| 8 | Brigadier general Aziz Nasirzadeh (born 1965) | 19 September 2021 | 28 August 2024 | 2 years, 344 days | NAHAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | ||
| (7) | Brigadier general Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani (born c. 1960) | 28 August 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 111 days | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri Abdolrahim Mousavi |
Timeline
See also
- Joint Staff of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- Joint Staff of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army
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