Hossein Salami | |
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Born | 1960 (age 63–64) Golpayegan, Imperial State of Iran |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1981–present |
Rank | Major general[1] |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | Iran–Iraq War Iranian intervention in Iraq 2024 Iran–Israel conflict |
Hossein Salami (Persian: حسین سلامی; born 1960) is an Iranian military officer who is the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[2][3][4] Born in Golpayegan, he joined the IRGC during the Iran–Iraq War, when he was a college student. He rose through the ranks, becoming deputy commander. On 21 April 2019, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, appointed him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, replacing major general Mohammad Ali Jafari.
Salami stands out among the commanders of the IRGC for his use of fiery and aggressive speeches targeting the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia. He has been described as a "top practitioner of psychological warfare". According to researcher Mehdi Khalaji, he has relied on "innovatively circumventing economic sanctions, developing Iran’s missile programme and maintaining the regime’s defiant regional policy".[5]
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