14th Imam Hossein Division

14th Imam Hossein Division (Persian: لشکر 14 امام حسین (ع)) is a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

14th Imam Hossein Brigade
لشکر 14 امام حسین (ع)
Active	1979–present
Country	Islamic Republic of Iran
Branch	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Type	Infantry
Size	Division
Garrison/HQ	Isfahan
Nickname	"Imam Hossein" (امام حسین (ع))
Engagements	Iran–Iraq War Operation Commander-in-Chief Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh Operation Tarigh ol-Qods Operation Fath ol-Mobeen Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas Second Battle of Khorramshahr First Battle of al-Faw Operation Dawn 8
Commanders
Notable commanders	Hossein Kharrazi Mostafa Raddanipoor[citation needed] Mohammad Reza Zahedi[1]

It was first officially organized as the 3rd Imam Hossein Brigade during the Iran–Iraq War, just before Operation Tariq al-Qods. Its units had participated in various rebellions in Iran after the 1979 Revolution, and the soldiers of the division were predominantly from the Isfahan Province.^[2] It was later expanded into a division. It participated in various key operations and battles in the Iran-Iraq war.^[3]

Describing the IRGC units during the Iran-Iraq war, then-commander-in-chief of IRGC Mohsen Rezaee says:^[4]

We had four divisions that, anywhere they went, no [Iraqi] military force was able to resist against them. Haj Hemmat and [his] 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division, Hossein Kharrazi and [his] 14th Imam Hossein Division, Mehdi Bakeri and [his] 31st Ashura Division, Ahmad Kazemi and [his] 8th Najaf Division—which whenever they entered, it resulted in success without exception.

History

This division was originally known as the 3rd Imam Hussein Brigade and was among the first combat units of the IRGC. It was formed during Operation Tariq al-Quds under the command of Hussein Kharrazi and was later expanded and upgraded to a division as the organization grew. ^[5]

Operations

Hossein Kharrazi was the first commander of the 14th Imam Hussein Division during the Iran–Iraq War. The division took part in numerous major operations, including Tariq al-Quds, Fath al-Mubin, Bayt al-Maqdis, Ramadan, Preliminary Val-Fajr, Val-Fajr 1, 2, 4, and 8, Khaybar, Badr, Karbala 3, 4, 5, 10, Bayt al-Maqdis 7, Nasr 4, and Val-Fajr 10. ^[6]

Tasks

After the Iran–Iraq War, several new responsibilities were assigned to this division, including border protection as well as the construction and reconstruction of schools and housing in underprivileged areas. ^[7]