List of Iranian two-star generals since 1979
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
There are currently 3 two-star officers in the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces: two with the regular army (Artesh) background and one who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Although the ranks of general (Arteshbod) and lieutenant general (sepahbod) exist in Iran by the book, the highest military rank practically available to active duty personnel of the Iranian Armed Forces during Islamic Republic era had been two-star rank of major general (sarlashgar) and its naval equivalent rear admiral (daryaban).[1]
While Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps did not use military ranks until 1991,[2] the Islamic Republic of Iran Army was mainly headed by mere colonels until the first post-revolutionary promotion ceremony of its personnel to general ranks in May 1987, in which Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad was the only one promoted to two-star rank.[3] No two-star general has ever served in the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Current two-star generals
| No. | Portrait | Name | Service | Branch | Date of rank | Position | Yrs. | CY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active duty officeholders | |||||||||
| 1 | _).jpg) |
Hossein Hassani Sa'di | IRIA | Ground Force | Unknown | Deputy Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya HQ (2016–2025) | Unknown | ||
| 2 |  |
Mostafa Izadi | IRGC | Ground Force | Strategic Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff | 18 | 29 | ||
| Advisor-level generals | |||||||||
| 1 |  |
Ali Shahbazi | IRIA | Ground Force | 18 February 1991[4] | Chief-of-Staff/Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (1988–2000) | 9 | 31 | |
| 2 | .jpg) |
Mohsen Rezaee | IRGC | N/a | Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (1981–1997) | 6 | 11 | ||
| 3 |  |
Yahya Rahim Safavi | IRGC | Ground Force | 10 September 1997 | Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (1997–2007) | 10 | 18 | |
| 4 | .jpg) |
Mohammad Ali Jafari | IRGC | Ground Force | 3 September 2007[5] | Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2007–2019) | 18 | 27 | |
| 5 | .jpg) |
Ataollah Salehi | IRIA | Ground Force | Unknown | Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (2005–2017) | Unknown | ||
Deceased two-star generals
| No. | Portrait | Name | Service | Branch | Position | Date of death | Posthumous rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad | IRIA | Ground Force | Unknown | 13 October 1999 (Stroke) | ||
| 2 |  |
Ali Sayad Shirazi | IRIA | Ground Force | Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (1993–1999) | 10 April 1999 (Assassinated by MEK) | ||
| 3 |  |
Mohammad Salimi | IRIA | Ground Force | Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (2000–2005) | 30 January 2016 (Unknown) | ||
| 4 |  |
Qasem Soleimani | IRGC | Quds Force | Commander of the Quds Force (1998–2020) | 3 January 2020 (Assassinated by U.S.A) |  Lieutenant general[6] | |
| 5 |  |
Hassan Firouzabadi | N/a | Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (1989–2016) | 3 September 2021 (COVID-19) | |||
| 6 |  |
Hossein Salami | IRGC | IRGC | Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2019–2025) | 13 June 2025 (Assassinated by Israel) | Lieutenant general[7] | |
| 7 |  |
Mohammad Bagheri | IRGC | IRGC | Commander of the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2016–2025) | 13 June 2025 (Assassinated by Israel) | Lieutenant general[citation needed] | |
| 9 | .jpg) |
Gholam Ali Rashid | IRGC | Ground Force | Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters (2016–2025) | 13 June 2025 (Assassinated by Israel) | Lieutenant general[8] | |
| 10 | .jpg) |
Ali Shadmani | IRGC | IRGC | Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters (2025) Deputy of Operations of the General Staff (2012–2016) |
17 June 2025 (Assassinated by Israel) | Lieutenant general[8] | |
| 11 | .jpg) |
Ali Shamkhani | IRGC IRIA |
Naval Forces | Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (2013–2023) Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (1997–2005) |
28 February 2026 (Assassinated by joint Israel-US strikes) | ||
| 12 | .jpg) |
Mohammad Pakpour | IRGC | Ground Force | Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2025-2026) Commander of the IRGC-GF (2009–2025) Deputy of Operations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2005-2009) |
28 February 2026 (Assassinated by joint Israel-US strikes) | ||
| 13 |  |
Abdolrahim Mousavi | IRIA | Ground Force | Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff (2025-2026) Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (2017–2025) |
28 February 2026 (Assassinated by joint Israel-US strikes) | ||