Iranian leaders of the Iran–Iraq War

This is a list of Iranian leaders of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988).

Ruhollah Khomeini

Leaders

Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces

• Abolhassan Banisadr (Start of War – 10 June 1981)
• Ruhollah Khomeini (10 June 1981 – End of War)
  • Akbar Rafsanjani, acted as the de facto commander-in-chief since mid-1980s^[1] and was later officially appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief on 2 June 1988^[2]
    • Hassan Rouhani, served as deputy to second-in-command since 1988^[3]

Military commanders

Strategic level

Islamic Republic of Iran Army

Chief-of-Staff

• Brig. Gen. Valiollah Fallahi (KIA) (Start of War – 29 September 1981)^[4]
• Brig. Gen. Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad (1 October 1981 – 25 October 1984)^[4]
• Col. Esmaeil Sohrabi (25 October 1984 – 1988)^[4]
• Brig. Gen. Ali Shahbazi (1988 – End of War)^[5]

Ground Force

• Brig. Gen. Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad (Start of War – 1 October 1981)^[4]
• Col. Ali Sayyad Shirazi (1 October 1981 – Spring 1986)^[4][6]
• Col. Hossein Hassani-Sadi (Spring 1986 – End of War)^[6]

Air Force

• Col. Javad Fakoori (KIA) (Start of War – 29 September 1981)^[4]
• Col. Mohammad-Hossein Moinpour (2 October 1981 – 25 November 1983)^[4]
• Col. Houshang Seddigh (25 November 1983 – 1986)^[4][5]
• Col. Mansour Sattari (1986 – End of War)^[5]

Navy

• Cpt. Bahram Afzali  (Start of War – 30 April 1983)^[4]
• Cpt. Esfandiar Hosseini (30 April 1983 – 25 June 1985)^[4]
• Cpt. Mohammad-Hossein Malekzadegan (25 June 1985 – End of War)^[4]

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Commander-in-Chief

• Morteza Rezaee (Start of War –)^[7]
• Mohsen Rezaee (11 September 1981 – End of War)^[4]

General Staff

• Alireza Afshar (November 1984 – )^[4]
• Mohammad Forouzandeh (– End of War)
• Gholam Ali Rashid (as one of the senior commanders of IRGC)^[8]

Basij

• Amir Majd (Start of War – December 1981)^[4]
• Ahmad Salek (December 1981 –)^[4]
• Mohammad-Ali Rahmani (16 February 1984 – End of War)^[4]

Ground Force

• Yahya Rahim Safavi (1985–)
• Ali Shamkhani (May 1986 –)^[4]

Air Force

• Akbar Rafan (1985 – End of War)

Navy

• Hossein Alaei (1985 – End of War)

Operational level

Islamic Republic of Iran Army

Division commanders

• Col. Hassan Abshenasan (KIA)
• Col. Masoud Monfared Niyaki (KIA)
• Col. Hasan Aghareb Parast (KIA)

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Division commanders

• Hossein Kharrazi (KIA)^[5]
• Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf^[5]
• Ahmad Kazemi^[5]
• Mohammad Boroujerdi (KIA)^[5]
• Ebrahim Hemmat (KIA)^[5]
• Qasem Soleimani
• Mehdi Bakeri (KIA)
• Ahmad Motevaselian
• Mehdi Zeinoddin (KIA)
• Mahmoud Kaveh (KIA)
• Ali Hashemi (Commander)
• Sabz Ali Khodadad (Commander)

Ministers

Minister of Defence

• Mostafa Chamran (Start of War – 29 October 1980)^[4]
• Col. Javad Fakoori (–September 1980)^[4]
• Col. Mousa Namjoo (KIA) (17–29 September 1981)^[4]
• Col. Mohammad Salimi (October 1981 – October 1985)^[4]
• Col. Mohammad Hossein Jalali (October 1985 – End of War)^[4]

Minister of Revolutionary Guards

• Mohsen Rafighdoost (November 1982 – End of War)^[9]