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Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces

The position of Commander-in-Chief (Farmandehe Koll-e Qova (Persian: فرمانده کل قوا), formerly known as Bozorg Arteshtārān (Persian: بزرگ‌ارتشتاران), is the ultimate authority of all the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, and the highest possible military position within the Islamic Republic of Iran. The position was established during the Persian Constitutional Revolution. According to the Constitution of Iran, the position is vested in the Supreme Leader of Iran and is held since 1981.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran
فرمانده کل نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (Persian)
Incumbent
Ali Khamenei
since 4 June 1989
Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces
SeatTehran, Iran
AppointerAssembly of Experts
Formation6 August 1906
First holderMozaffar ad-Din Shah

After the 1979 Iranian Revolution and 15 days after the inauguration of the first president Abolhassan Banisadr in February 1980, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini delegated him as the Commander-in-Chief.[1] According to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, this was due to the illness of Ayatollah Khomeini and his concerns about the future of the revolution (in his absence).[2] In the decree from Khomeini to Banisadr it is mentioned:

At this critical stage where the need to concentrate forces is greater than any stage, you are appointed as my representative to the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the manner determined by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.[1]

Following the impeachment of Banisadr in June 1981, the title of Commander-in-Chief was not transferred to the next president Mohammad-Ali Rajai, and is kept to this day by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

List of commanders-in-chief

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Military rank Military branch
Took office Left office Time in office
  • Sublime State of Persia (1906–1925) •  
1Shah, MozaffarShah
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah
(1853–1907)		6 August 19063 January 1907 †150 daysN/AN/A
2Shah, MohammadShah
Mohammad Ali Shah
(1872–1925)		3 January 190716 July 19092 years, 194 daysN/AN/A
–Khan, Ali RezaRegent
Ali Reza Khan
(1847–1910)		16 July 1909[3]22 September 1910 †1 year, 56 daysN/AN/A
–Khan, AbolqasemRegent
Abolqasem Khan
(1856–1927)		22 September 1910[3]21 July 19143 years, 314 daysN/AN/A
3Shah, AhmadShah
Ahmad Shah
(1898–1930)		21 July 1914[3]14 February 192511 years, 147 daysN/AN/A
4Khan, RezaPrime Minister
Reza Khan
(1878–1944)
[a]		14 February 1925[4]15 December 1925304 daysBrigadier generalPersian Cossack Brigade
(1894–1921)
  • Imperial State of Iran (1925–1979) •  
1Shah, RezaShah
Reza Shah
(1878–1944)		15 December 192516 September 194115 years, 275 daysBrigadier generalPersian Cossack Brigade
(1894–1921)
2Shah, MohammadShah
Mohammad Reza Shah
(1919–1980)		16 September 194121 July 195210 years, 309 daysCaptain[5]Imperial Iranian Army
(1936–1941)[5]
3Mosaddegh, MohammadPrime Minister
Mohammad Mosaddegh
(1882–1967)
[b]		21 July 195219 August 19531 year, 29 daysN/AN/A
(2)Shah, MohammadShah
Mohammad Reza Shah
(1919–1980)		19 August 195311 February 197925 years, 176 daysCaptainImperial Iranian Army
(1936–1941)
  • Islamic Republic of Iran (1980–present) •  
1Banisadr, AbolhassanPresident
Abolhassan Banisadr
(1933–2021)
[c]		19 February 1980[8]10 June 1981[9]1 year, 111 daysN/AN/A
2Khomeini, RuhollahSupreme Leader
Ruhollah Khomeini
(1902–1989)		10 June 19813 June 1989 †7 years, 358 daysN/AN/A
3Khamenei, AliSupreme Leader
Ali Khamenei
(born 1939)		4 June 1989Incumbent35 years, 171 daysN/A[d]Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(24 November 1979–24 February 1980)[10]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Appointed by the Parliament of Iran.[4]
  2. ^ Mosaddegh was granted emergency powers by Shah of Iran to rule by decree.[6] While holding office as the Prime Minister and Minister of War (renamed to "Ministry of National Defence") simultaneously, Mossadegh went over the authority of Shah, the Commander-in-Chief vetted in the Persian Constitution of 1906, and appointed commanders in Imperial Iranian Army and Police.[7]
  3. ^ Delegated by the Supreme Leader of Iran.[8]
  4. ^ He was caretaker of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the highest position in the corps.[10] At the time military ranks were not used.

References

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  1. ^ a b "امام خمینی (س) - حکم انتصاب آقای بنی صدر به سمت فرماندهی کل قوا". www.imam-khomeini.ir. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  2. ^ "ماجرای سپردن فرماندهی کل قوا به بنی صدر به روایت آیت‌الله هاشمی". اقتصادنیوز (in Persian). 2023-02-19. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  3. ^ a b c Sheikh-ol-Islami, M. J. (July 28, 2011) [December 15, 1984]. "AḤMAD SHAH QĀJĀR". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 6. Vol. I. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 657–660. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Elton L. Daniel (2012). The History of Iran. ABC-CLIO. p. 136. ISBN 978-0313375095.
  5. ^ a b Ali Akbar Dareini (1998). The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty: Memoirs of Former General Hussein Fardust. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 15–16. ISBN 8120816420.
  6. ^ James Buchan (2013). Days of God: The Revolution in Iran and Its Consequences. Simon and Schuster. p. 64. ISBN 978-1416597773.
  7. ^ John Prados (2006). Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA. Ivan R. Dee. pp. 102–103. ISBN 1615780114.
  8. ^ a b Sinkaya, Bayram (2015), The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations, Iranian Studies, vol. 25, Routledge, p. 96, ISBN 9781317525646
  9. ^ Sinkaya, Bayram (2015), The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations, Iranian Studies, vol. 25, Routledge, p. 88, ISBN 9781317525646
  10. ^ a b Detailed biography of Ayatollah Khamenei, Leader of Islamic Revolution, Khamenei.ir, 23 September 2013, retrieved 17 March 2016
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