Hossein Salami

Hossein Salami (Persian: حسین سلامی; born 1960) is an Iranian military officer who is the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 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".

Early years
Salami was born in 1960 in Golpayegan, Isfahan province, Iran. In 1978, he was accepted in the mechanical engineering department at the Iran University of Science and Technology. When the Iran–Iraq War started, he joined the IRGC. After the war, he continued his study and graduated with a Master's degree in defense management.

Career
After joining the IRGC when the Iran–Iraq War started, Salami rose through the ranks, becoming deputy commander. On 21 April 2019, Ali Khamenei appointed him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, replacing Mohammad Ali Jafari who had held the post since September 2007.

On 7 January 2020, Salami spoke at the funeral of his comrade in arms and IRGC Quds force subordinate, Qasem Soleimani, who had been killed the previous Friday near Iraq's Baghdad International Airport by a US airstrike: "I say the last word at the beginning: we will take revenge. We will take revenge, a revenge that will be tough, strong, decisive and finishing, and will make them regret."

In the matter of 8 January 2020 shootdown of UIA flight PS752 due to IRGC missiles, on 13 January Salami went to the Iran Parliament and said "We did make a mistake. Some of our compatriots were martyred because of our mistake but it was unintentional... In my all lifetime I haven't been as sorry as much as now. Never... I wish I had been on board and burned with them... May God forgive us and then after than Iranian people and the families of the victims forgive us. And we for this incident, we were determined all the more to make it up."

On 5 March 2020, Salami said, referencing COVID-19, that "We are now dealing with a biological war." He argued that it "may be the product of American biological warfare." This theory was amplified on 8 March by the state-run Press TV.

In the aftermath of the 2024 Iranian attack on Israel, Salami stated: "Our information on all of the hits is not complete yet but on that part of the hits that we have accurate, documented and field-related reports show that this operation has been carried out with a success that exceeded the expectation".

Sanctions
According to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, sanctions were imposed on Salami on March 2007.

On 8 April 2019, the US inflicted economic and travel sanctions on the IRGC and organizations, companies, and individuals affiliated with them. Salami said the IRGC was proud that Washington named them as a terrorist group. It was later remarked that Salami was included on the sanctions list as he had been promoted on 21 April commander of the IRGC.

On 3 October 2022, Salami was included in a Canadian sanctions list that included 9 Iranian entities, and 25 senior officials. The sanctions came in reaction to the Death of Mahsa Amini, and the persecution of protestors in the widescale protests that ensued.

Responsibilities

 * Commander of IRGC University of Command and Staff (1992–1997)
 * Operations deputy of IRGC Joint Staff (1997–2005)
 * Commander of IRGC Air Force (2005–2009)
 * Academic staff of Supreme National Defense University
 * Deputy commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2009–2019)
 * The commander-in-chief of the IRGC (2019–)

Personal life
Salami's brother, Mostafa Salami, is a senior officer in the regular armed force. He is also an authority of Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters.

Views
Salami stands out among the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards for his fiery and aggressive speeches targeting the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia. For instance, during a speech on Iranian TV, Salami reportedly stated: '“We are planning to break America, Israel, and their partners and allies. Our ground forces should cleanse the planet from the filth of their existence”

In January 2019 Salami said: “We will fight them on the global level, not just in one spot. Our war is not a local war. We have plans to defeat the world powers.”

During the Mahsa Amini protests, Salami stated: "This sinister plan, is a plan hatched … in the White House and the Zionist regime", while proclaiming: '“Do not come to the streets. Today is the last day of riots."