General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Highest ranked officer of the Iranian Armed Forces
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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 between the Iranian Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[5]
| 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 28 February 2026Vacant | |
| Iranian Armed Forces | |
| Type | General staff |
| Reports to | Military office of the Supreme Leader[1] |
| Appointer | Supreme Leader of Iran |
| Formation | June 1988[2][3][4] |
| 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 subordinate to the general staff, as well as Iran's sole national police force, the Police Command.[5]
The general staff 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.[5]
The position of chief of the general staff is currently vacant, after the assassination of Abdolrahim Mousavi on 28 February 2026 during the 2026 Iran war.
Passive Defence and Cyberwarfare
The National Organization for Passive Defense also reports to the Armed Forces General Staff.
It has been reported that Iran is one of the five countries that has a cyber-army capable of conducting cyber-warfare operations. It has also been reported that Iran has immensely increased its cyberwarfare capability since the post presidential election un-rest.[6][7][8][9][10] In 2010, China accused the United States of having initiated a cyber war against Iran through websites such as Twitter and YouTube in addition to employing a hacker brigade for the purpose of fomenting unrest in Iran.[11][12]
In early 2010, two new garrisons for cyberwarfare were established at Zanjan and Isfahan.[13] As of 2024, Iran's cyber activities have become more sophisticated, engaging in a persistent cyber struggle with Israel that focuses on espionage, information warfare, and attempts to target critical infrastructure, although Israel maintains a technological edge.[14]
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 | 2 June 1988 | 20 August 1988 | 79 days | none | – | ||
| 1 | Mir-Hossein Mousavi (born 1942) | 20 August 1988 | 26 September 1989 | 1 year, 37 days | none | – | ||
| Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | ||||||||
| 2 | Major general Hassan Firouzabadi (1951–2021) | 26 September 1989 | 28 June 2016 | 26 years, 276 days |  IRGC | [15] | ||
| 3 | Major general Mohammad Bagheri (c. 1960–2025) | 28 June 2016 | 13 June 2025 † | 8 years, 350 days | IRGC | [16] | ||
| – | Rear admiral Habibollah Sayyari (born 1955) Acting | 13 June 2025 | 13 June 2025 | 0 days |  NEDAJA | [17][18] | ||
| 4 | Major general Abdolrahim Mousavi (1960–2026) | 13 June 2025 | 28 February 2026 † | 260 days |  NEZAJA | [19] | ||
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) | 2 June 1988 | 26 September 1989 | 1 year, 116 days | IRGC | 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) | 10 April 1999 | 5 July 2016 | 17 years, 86 days | IRGC | Hassan Firouzabadi | – | |
| 5 | Major general Abdolrahim Mousavi (1960–2026) | 5 July 2016 | 21 August 2017 | 1 year, 47 days | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | [20] | |
| 6 | Major general Ataollah Salehi (born 1950) | 21 August 2017 | 2 July 2019 | 1 year, 315 days | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | [21] | |
| 7 | Brigadier general Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani (born c. 1960) | 2 July 2019 | 19 September 2021 | 2 years, 79 days | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | [21] | |
| 8 | Brigadier general Aziz Nasirzadeh (1965–2026) | 19 September 2021 | 28 August 2024 | 2 years, 344 days |  NAHAJA | Mohammad Bagheri | [22] | |
| (7) | Brigadier general Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani (born c. 1960) | 28 August 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 245 days | NEZAJA | Mohammad Bagheri Abdolrahim Mousavi | [23] |
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Timeline
