Mohammad Bagheri (Iranian commander)

Mohammad Bagheri (Persian: محمد باقری‎, born Mohammad-Hossein Afshordi (Persian: محمدحسین افشردی‎) is an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military commander serving at the most senior military position available in Iran, Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[4] He holds the rank of Major General within the Iranian military.

Sardar Mohammad Bagheri
Bagheri in 2021
Birth name	Mohammad-Hossein Afshordi[1]
Born	c. 1960/1961 (age 59–60)[2] Tabriz, Iran
Allegiance	Iran
Service/branch	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Years of service	1979–present[3]
Rank	Major General
Commands held	General Staff of Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Operations and Intelligence Deputy of General Staff Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence and Operations, General Staff
Battles/wars	Kurdish rebellion in Iran[3] Iran–Iraq War (WIA) Syrian Civil War
Awards	Order of Fath (3) Order of Nasr

Career

Also, a military intelligence expert with his experience dating back to the Iran–Iraq War,[5] he holds a Ph.D. in political geography and reportedly teaches at Iran's Supreme National Defense University.[3] In 1980, he joined the IRGC.[6]

Mohammad Bagheri and other commanders, including Mohammad Ali Jafari, Ali Fadavi, and Gholam Ali Rashid, are members of a group identified by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) as the IRGC Command Network. According to AEI's Critical Threats Project, the group "dominates the upper echelons of Iran's military and controls planning, operations, intelligence, covert and irregular warfare operations, and internal security."[7] He was promoted from his previous position as deputy chief of staff for intelligence and operations in the General Staff[3] on June 28, 2016, replacing Hassan Firouzabadi.[8]

Personal life

His elder brother, Hasan Bagheri, was a commander in the Iran–Iraq War.[3]

Sanctions

On April 8, 2019, the United States designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization.[9] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel immediately thanked Trump on Twitter.[10] "We consider the U.S. troops in West Asia to be terrorists and if they do a damn thing, we will confront them vigorously" Mohammad Bagheri said.[11][12]

See also

• List of Iranian two-star generals since 1979

References

1. Arash Karami (28 June 2016). "Khamenei appoints new head of Iran's armed forces". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
2. Kenneth Katzman (6 February 2017), "Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies" (PDF), Congressional Research Service, Federation of American Scientists, p. 22, retrieved 1 March 2017
3. Who Is Iran's New Armed Forces Chief of Staff?, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 5 July 2016, retrieved 1 March 2017
4. "If ISIS attacks Baghdad, Iran will intervene militarily, says Iranian general". IranGeo. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
5. A New Military Chief Rises in Iran, Stratfor, 8 July 2016, retrieved 1 March 2017
6. Nadimi, Farzin. "Who Is Iran's New Armed Forces Chief of Staff?". washingtoninstitute.
7. Fulton, Will. "IRGC Command Network: Formal Structures and Informal Influence" (PDF). AEI Critical Threats Project. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
8. Erdbrink, Thomas, Iran’s Supreme Leader Shakes Up Military Command New York Times, 28 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
9. Wong and Schmitt, Edward and Eric. "Trump Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards a Foreign Terrorist Group". nytimes.
10. Wong and Schmitt, Edward and Eric. "Trump Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards a Foreign Terrorist Group". nytimes.
11. Goodenough, Patrick. "Responding to IRGC Terror Designation, Iranian Regime Threatens US Central Command". cnsnews.
12. O'CONNOR, TOM. "IRAN SAYS IT WILL HELP REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS FIGHT 'TERRORIST' U.S. MILITARY; ALLIES OFFER THEIR SUPPORT". newsweek.