Khamenei reshuffles military leadership after US-Israeli strikes, names new chief of staff

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has moved to overhaul the country's military command structure, filling top posts left vacant by US and Israeli airstrikes.

According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, Mojtaba Khamenei issued a decree Monday appointing Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi as the new chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Abdollahi succeeds former chief of staff Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, who was killed in a large-scale US-Israeli airstrike in February.

Khamenei also announced a series of other senior appointments that day. Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heydari was named deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, while Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi was appointed commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Maj. Gen. Mostafa Izadi was named IRGC deputy commander, Maj. Gen. Ali Azmaei was appointed IRGC naval commander, and Ayatollah Hossein Taeb was tapped to lead the Basij paramilitary militia.

In the appointment decree, Khamenei said Abdollahi was named chief of staff "in consideration of the honorable martyrdom of General Mousavi in the attack by the Zionist-American hostile forces, and in recognition of General Abdollahi's distinguished service record and extensive experience."

Khamenei directed the new military leadership to modernize the defense and security capabilities of both the armed forces and the Basij, strengthen combat readiness, and enhance the ability to counter not only conventional military threats but also emerging challenges such as cognitive warfare and hybrid warfare. He further ordered the swift completion of integration efforts between the joint chiefs of staff and the central command.

The appointments are seen as a follow-up measure to restore the chain of command and reorganize military capabilities after the US-Israeli strikes gutted much of Iran's senior brass. Analysts say the reshuffle also reflects an intent to simultaneously bolster Iran's leverage in ongoing negotiations with the United States over the Strait of Hormuz and reinforce its military deterrence.