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Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces
Ultimate authority of the Iranian military
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The position of Commander-in-Chief (Persian: فرمانده کل قوا, romanized: Farmândeh-ye Kol-e Qova), formerly known as Bozorg Arteshtârân (Persian: بزرگ ارتشتاران, lit. 'Great Army Leader'), is the ultimate authority of all the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, and the highest possible military position within the Islamic Republic of Iran. The position was established during the Persian Constitutional Revolution. According to the Constitution of Iran, the position is vested in the Supreme Leader of Iran and is held since 1981.
| Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran | |
|---|---|
| فرمانده کل نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (Persian) | |
| |
| Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces | |
| Seat | Tehran, Iran |
| Appointer | Assembly of Experts |
| Constituting instrument | Persian Constitution of 1906 |
| Formation | 6 August 1906 |
| First holder | Mozaffar ad-Din Shah |
Islamic Republic of Iran
After the 1979 Iranian Revolution and 15 days after the inauguration of the first president Abolhassan Banisadr in February 1980, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini delegated him as the Commander-in-Chief.[1] According to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, this was due to the illness of Ayatollah Khomeini and his concerns about the future of the revolution (in his absence).[2] In the decree from Khomeini to Banisadr it is mentioned:
At this critical stage where the need to concentrate forces is greater than any stage, you are appointed as my representative to the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the manner determined by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[1]
Following the impeachment of Banisadr in June 1981, the title of Commander-in-Chief was not transferred to the next president Mohammad-Ali Rajai, and is kept to this day by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
List of commanders-in-chief
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Military rank | Military branch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
 • Sublime State of Persia (1906–1925) • .svg){kind=small} | |||||||
| 1 | Shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah (1853–1907) | 6 August 1906 | 3 January 1907 † | 150 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 2 | Shah Mohammad Ali Shah (1872–1925) | 3 January 1907 | 16 July 1909 | 2 years, 194 days | N/A | N/A | |
| – | Regent Ali Reza Khan (1847–1910) | 16 July 1909[3] | 22 September 1910 † | 1 year, 56 days | N/A | N/A | |
| – | Regent Abolqasem Khan (1856–1927) | 22 September 1910[3] | 21 July 1914 | 3 years, 314 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 3 | Shah Ahmad Shah (1898–1930) | 21 July 1914[3] | 14 February 1925 | 11 years, 147 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 4 | Prime Minister Reza Khan (1878–1944) [a] | 14 February 1925[4] | 15 December 1925 | 304 days | Brigadier general | Persian Cossack Brigade (1894–1921) | |
 • Imperial State of Iran (1925–1979) •  | |||||||
| 1 | Shah Reza Shah (1878–1944) | 15 December 1925 | 16 September 1941 | 15 years, 275 days | Brigadier general | Persian Cossack Brigade (1894–1921) | |
| 2 | Shah Mohammad Reza Shah (1919–1980) | 16 September 1941 | 21 July 1952 | 10 years, 309 days | Captain[5] | Imperial Iranian Army (1936–1941)[5] | |
| 3 | Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh (1882–1967) [b] | 21 July 1952 | 19 August 1953 | 1 year, 29 days | N/A | N/A | |
| (2) | Shah Mohammad Reza Shah (1919–1980) | 19 August 1953 | 11 February 1979 | 25 years, 176 days | Captain | Imperial Iranian Army (1936–1941) | |
 • Islamic Republic of Iran (1979–present) • | |||||||
| 1 | President Abolhassan Banisadr (1933–2021) [c] | 19 February 1980[8] | 10 June 1981[9] | 1 year, 111 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 2 | Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini (1902–1989) [d] | 10 June 1981 | 3 June 1989 † | 7 years, 358 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 3 | Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (1939–2026) [e] | 4 June 1989 | 28 February 2026 † | 36 years, 269 days | N/A[f] | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (24 November 1979–24 February 1980)[13] | |
| – | Interim Leadership Council [g] | 1 March 2026 | 8 March 2026 | 7 days | N/A | N/A (Mohseni-Eje'i and Arafi) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pezeshkian) | |
| 4 | Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei (born 1969) | 8 March 2026 | Incumbent | 49 days | N/A | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (1987–1988, 2009–2026) | |
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Timeline
See also
Notes
- Appointed by the Parliament of Iran.[4]
- Mosaddegh was granted emergency powers by Shah of Iran to rule by decree.[6] While holding office as the Prime Minister and Minister of War (renamed to "Ministry of National Defence") simultaneously, Mossadegh went over the authority of Shah, the Commander-in-Chief vetted in the Persian Constitution of 1906, and appointed commanders in Imperial Iranian Army and Police.[7]
- Delegated by the Supreme Leader of Iran.[8]
- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani acted as the de facto commander-in-chief since mid-1980s,[10] and was later officially appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief on 2 June 1988.[11] Hassan Rouhani served as deputy to second-in-command since 1988.[12]
- He was caretaker of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the highest position in the corps.[13] At the time military ranks were not used.
- Members: Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i and Alireza Arafi.