Mohammad Ali Jafari | |
|---|---|
 Jafari in 2019 | |
| Nickname(s) | Aziz Jafari Ali Jafari |
| Born | 1 September 1957 Yazd, Pahlavi Iran |
| Allegiance | Iran |
| Service/ | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Years of service | 1981–2019 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Commands held | Ground Forces |
| Battles/wars | Iran–Iraq War (WIA) Iran–PJAK conflict 2016 West Iran clashes |
| Awards |  3rd grade Fath Medal[1] |
Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari (Persian: محمدعلی جعفری, born 1 September 1957, also known as Aziz Jafari[2] and Ali Jafari[3]) is a retired Iranian military officer and former commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 2007 to 2019. He was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 1 September 2007, succeeding Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi.[4]
According to a 2 September 2007 report by Radio Free Europe, Radio Farda has described Jafari has been close to the conservative subfaction, which includes Mohsen Rezaee, the secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council and former commander of the IRGC and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former IRGC member and the mayor of Tehran. The replacement of Safavi was thought to be a move to strengthen the conservative faction as a counterweight to the radicalizers around President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom Safavi is close to.[3]
"Observers appear to regard Jafari as principally a tactician, organizer, and 'technical' military man," according to Radio Free Europe.[3] The EU's official journal said the three Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, Jafari, General Qasem Soleimani, and the Guard's deputy commander for intelligence, Hossein Taeb, were now subjects to sanctions and had been "providing equipment and support to help the Syrian regime suppress protests in Syria".[5]
- ^ Poursafa, Mahdi (20 January 2014). گزارش فارس از تاریخچه نشانهای نظامی ایران، از «اقدس» تا «فتح»؛ مدالهایی که بر سینه سرداران ایرانی نشسته است [From "Aghdas" to "Fath": Medals resting on the chest of Iranian Serdars]. Fars News (in Persian). Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ^ "Iran changes Revolutionary Guards commander". Reuters. 1 September 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
- ^ a b c Sepehri, Vahid. "Iran: New Commander Takes Over Revolutionary Guards". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ^ "Commander-in-chief of Sepah". farsnews.ir. September 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Syria: Deadly protests erupt against Bashar al-Assad". BBC News. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.