Iran's Khamenei orders top military reshuffle, names new army chief

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued separate decrees reshuffling the country's top military command, including the army chief of staff and senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) positions, state news agency IRNA reported. Major General Ali Abdullahi was appointed chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, with Major General Keyumars Heydari named as deputy chief of staff, according to the decrees. Major General Mustafa Izadi was also assigned to the deputy chief of staff role. In the IRGC leadership changes, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahid was promoted to general and appointed as the new IRGC commander general. Rear Admiral Ali Azmali was named to head the IRGC Navy, while Hossein Tayyib was placed in charge of a Basij unit focused on lower-income communities. The decrees cover senior appointments across the regular armed forces and the IRGC, an institution that oversees Iran's most powerful military and security formations. No further details on the timing or circumstances of the reshuffle were immediately available.