From Iranians Atlas to the Commander of the Quds Force; Who is Saeed Mohammad?

The introduction ceremony of Saeed Mohammad as the new commander of the Quds Force was held amid the approval of the bill "Iran's accession to the Convention on Combating the Financing of Terrorism." Saeed Mohammad was appointed by Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, replacing Abdollah Abdollahi, who had led this command since 2012. Jafari referred to Saeed Mohammad as someone with "valuable experience in the Khatam al-Anbiya complex." Saeed Mohammad, born in 1968 in Tehran, holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (Transportation) from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran and joined the IRGC in 1987. His resume includes membership in the Iranian Tunneling Association, an academic position at Imam Hussein University, and the Engineering System of Tehran Province. Saeed Mohammad has extensive managerial and executive experience in various companies and institutions affiliated with the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters and served as CEO of the Sepasad Group from 2007 to 2014. This group, affiliated with the IRGC, began its activities in 1992 with the aim of "selfless service to the system and a fundamental belief in religious and national values." The group has constructed the Karun 4 and Gotvand Aliya dams, the latter being one of the most controversial dams in Iran, which many environmental experts believe has caused numerous harmful ecological impacts. Abdollah Abdollahi, the former commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, responded to these controversies by stating that this headquarters had no role in the design of the Gotvand dam and was merely the executor of the project, thus not responsible for "this unsuccessful experience." The construction of the Karun 4, Roudbar Lorestan, Narmab, Bakhtiari, and Mashampa dams are other projects of this group. The Sepasad Group is also active in rail transport projects, with its most significant projects being Line 7 of the Tehran Metro, the metro of the new city of Parand, and the metro of Hashtgerd. This group is recognized as a major contracting holding in the market and industry for constructing infrastructure projects, dams, and related facilities, irrigation networks, drainage and water transfer, rail transport, power plants, and power transmission networks in Iran, backed by the IRGC. Saeed Mohammad also chairs the board of directors of the Iranian Project Management Association, which is another of his responsibilities. The most controversial position of Saeed Mohammad relates to his role as CEO of the Iranian Atlas Group, which has been established since 1986 and officially introduced itself as an investment and executive group in the construction industry in Iran since 2005. This group is a subsidiary of Ansar Bank, which is affiliated with the IRGC's Cooperative Foundation, a foundation that at least funds the budgets of two IRGC-affiliated media outlets named Fars News Agency and the newspaper Javan. Six companies, including Shiva Atlas, Iranian Atlas Construction, Iran Atlas Kish Investment, Setareh Arman Toos, Bagh-e-Ferdows Iranians, and Pardis Atlas Pars, are subsidiaries of this group. The Iranian Atlas Group and its companies are referred to as the kings of constructing malls, shopping centers, modern complexes, and luxurious homes in Iran, having virtually no competitors across the country. This group has implemented over 22 major construction projects in more than 10 cities in Iran, with no available information on the investment and profit of these projects. All these projects have been designed and executed with an economic approach based on the new lifestyle of Iranians, which the political and cultural sectors of the IRGC are trying to counter with significant budgets. The name Saeed Mohammad, the new commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, is behind some of these projects. A name that officially took command of the most important, wealthiest, and most profitable IRGC entity on Saturday. Before leading this headquarters, the new commander of Khatam al-Anbiya played a fundamental role in the design, management, and construction of some of these large and luxurious economic projects executed through these six companies. 1. Shiva Atlas Company: Saeed Mohammad is the chairman of the board of Shiva Atlas, whose main activity is designing mega-malls and luxury commercial and administrative construction projects in Iran. This company is essentially the intellectual core of the Iranian Atlas Group, established in 2010, with its main responsibilities including supervision, procurement engineering, structural and facilities engineering, interior architecture, and geotechnical engineering. 2. Iranian Atlas Construction Company: This company began its activities in 2012 as part of the value chain of the Iranian Atlas Company. Its main responsibilities include meeting the group's construction needs for various uses, including commercial, administrative, residential, and clinical. 3. Setareh Arman Toos Company: Established in 2010, this company is currently responsible for executing the Arman commercial-residential project. The major shareholder of Setareh Arman Toos and the main investor in the Arman project is the Iranian Atlas Investment Company. 4. Bagh-e-Ferdows Iranians Company: Founded in 2010 under the name Star Atlas Iranians, this company aims to build, sell, and operate the large Atlas Mall project. It is now known as Bagh-e-Ferdows Iranians. The goal of registering this company is to pursue the new objectives and policies of the Iranian Atlas Company. 5. Pardis Atlas Pars Company: This company is the executive arm of the Iranian Atlas Company in the northwest region of the country and is responsible for executing the Atlas shopping center project in Tabriz. 6. Iran Atlas Kish Investment Company: Established in 2006 under the initial name of Iran Atlas Kish Trading and Industrial Company, it changed its name to Iran Atlas Kish Investment Company in 2009. The major shareholder of this company is the Iranian Atlas Company. Iran Atlas Kish focuses its activities on providing design services and conducting advertising processes, market studies, and sales of major and prominent construction projects in the country. This company has also been responsible for maintaining and repairing over one million square meters of ready-to-sell projects. The Iranian Atlas Investment Company has had significant construction projects over the years, the most important of which are as follows: 1. Atlas Salek Abroud (Apartment): The "400-unit Atlas Salek Abroud" project is located in neighborhood 2 of Salek Abroud. The project area is 120,000 square meters, and the total built area is about 60,000 square meters. 2. Atlas Shopping Center (Bam): This complex is located in the commercial center of the city, with an area of 7,200 square meters and a built area of 29,000 square meters. The Atlas Center shopping complex in Bam will be built in four floors and has about 440 commercial units, making it the largest commercial project in southeastern Iran. 3. Atlas Gandhi: A very modern and equipped commercial-administrative complex that will soon be launched in one of the most important areas of Greater Tehran. The land area of this project is 990 square meters, and the built area is 7,470 square meters. This complex has 11 floors, four of which are underground, and the rest above ground with a total height of 33 meters. In total, there are 33 commercial units in this complex, and 18 units are designated for administrative use. 4. Atlas Trade Center Yasouj: This project is another project of the Iranian Atlas Group, designed on a land area of 1,000 square meters and a built area of 4,818 square meters over five floors. 5. Atlas Clinic-Commercial Center (Kerman): This center, with an approximate built area of 12,000 square meters over 11 floors, includes five commercial floors and six medical floors designed and implemented by this group. 6. Bagh-e-Jahan Welfare-Educational Complex (Tehran): This project is another design and planning of this group, with the Iranian Atlas Construction Company responsible for its execution. 7. Fakher Hotel and Arman Shopping Center (Mashhad): The construction of the commercial, residential, and accommodation complex "Arman" and the "Fakher" hotel, one of the largest redevelopment complexes around the shrine of the eighth Shia Imam, inaugurated in 2015, is one of the group's most important projects. 8. Atlas Mall Niavaran: The "Atlas Mall" project in District 1 of Tehran has been one of the most controversial projects of this group in recent years. This project, with commercial-administrative use, has 19 floors, eight of which are administrative, four commercial, one food court, and six levels of parking. 9. Atlas Shopping Center (Tabriz): This project, with a total built area of 44,820 square meters, is located on a land area of 12,381 square meters, of which 3,600 square meters is related to the project's building area and 8,871 square meters is dedicated to green space and neighborhood park with recreational facilities. The Atlas Trade Center is under construction in 18 structural floors in one of the most valuable areas of Tabriz. 10. Atlas Residential Tower (Kish): The "Atlas Kish" residential tower is located on a land area of 3,410 square meters and has a built area of over 19,000 square meters, situated near the Persian Gulf square on Kish Island. The investor of this project is the "Iranian Atlas Construction Group," and the "Shiva Atlas Consulting Engineers" company, a subsidiary of the Iranian Atlas Construction Group, has managed the project and provided consulting for phase 3. The marketing and sales activities for this tower are handled by the "Iran Atlas Kish Investment Company (IAK)," another subsidiary of the Iranian Atlas Construction Group. 11. Atlas Plaza: The multi-purpose "Atlas Plaza" project in the Abbasabad hills is one of the most luxurious and functional construction projects in Tehran. This project is being executed on a land area of 75,000 square meters and a total built area of over 450,000 square meters by the "Setareh Atlas Pars" company, a subsidiary of the Iranian Atlas Group. 12. Atlas Farmanieh: The residential building "Atlas Farmanieh" is another project of this group in northern Tehran. 13. Atlas Dibaji: This project, located on a land area of 1,135 square meters and a built area of 7,468 square meters in 13 residential floors in the "Dibaji" neighborhood of Tehran, is being constructed by Iranian Atlas Construction. 14. Atlas Baharestan: The "Shiva Atlas" consulting engineers have designed the Atlas Baharestan project on Pasdaran Street to serve as the headquarters for the Iranian Atlas Group. This project is situated on a land area of 898 square meters and a built area of 5,800 square meters over six floors. The Atlas Kerman Tower, Atlas Farhizadi, Atlas Jahrom Residential Complex, Atlas Tonekabon, the "Roshdieh" construction project in Tabriz, Bahman Trade Center, Meysam Complex in Shiraz, and Atlas Bandar Abbas are other projects of the Iranian Atlas Investment Company, some of which have also been completed. All these projects have been designed and executed with an economic approach based on the new lifestyle of Iranians, which the political and cultural sectors of the IRGC are trying to counter with significant budgets. The name Saeed Mohammad, the new commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, is behind some of these projects.