Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Friday appointed Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour as the new commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), following the death of General Hossein Salami in Israeli airstrikes.

The announcement was made through a formal decree issued by the office of the Supreme Leader and broadcast on state media. The appointment comes amid soaring tensions in the region after Israel’s sweeping aerial offensive targeted multiple military and nuclear sites in Iran, reportedly killing senior commanders and scientists.

General Pakpour previously served as the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces and is regarded as a seasoned military strategist with close ties to the IRGC’s Quds Force. He is known for his operational role in Iran’s regional military policies, particularly in Syria and Iraq.

“Given your commitment, experience, and understanding of the strategic needs of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, I hereby appoint you as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in the statement.

The move comes less than 24 hours after Iranian state media confirmed the martyrdom of General Hossein Salami, who led the elite force since 2019 and was widely seen as a symbol of Iran’s military resistance doctrine. Salami’s death, alongside other senior officials including Major General Gholamali Rashid and nuclear scientist Dr. Fereydoon Abbasi, marked one of the most serious blows to Iran’s security establishment in recent memory.