Ayatollah Khamenei Changes Two Senior Officials in Iran's Armed Forces General Staff

On Tuesday, July 6, during the official introduction ceremony of the new head of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff, Supreme Leader Abdulrahim Mousavi was appointed as the deputy head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, succeeding Gholamali Rashid, a well-known commander of the Revolutionary Guards. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also appointed Ali Abdollahi as the deputy coordinator of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Previously, Hossein Hosseini Saadi, a former army commander, held this position. Abdollahi had previously served as the deputy for support and industrial research of the General Staff and had also been the governor of Gilan and the deputy security minister. On July 8, the Supreme Leader changed the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces after 27 years, appointing Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri as the new head. In his decree, Khamenei stated that "the enhancement of the defensive and security capabilities of the armed forces and the popular mobilization and the ability to respond promptly and effectively to any level and type of threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected through revolutionary action." Meanwhile, the new head of the General Staff stated during his introduction ceremony that "assisting the oppressed in the region against oppression, aggression, and terrorist attacks will be a top priority for the armed forces." Hassan Firouzabadi had been the head of the General Staff since 1989. The Tabnak website, close to Mohsen Rezaei, referred to Firouzabadi's change as a "dismissal" and implicitly linked it to his positive positions on issues such as the JCPOA. The website noted that the Supreme Leader's view is to maintain institutions under his supervision "in line with revolutionary principles." However, Ismail Kowsari, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, stated that Firouzabadi's dismissal was due to his illness, mentioning that he is "undergoing treatment."