Mohammad Bagheri

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mohammad Bagheri

• Mohammad Bagheri hailed from a family originally from the village of Afshord in Iran.

• During his first year as an engineering student, Bagheri joined the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, where Iranian students captured 52 American diplomats and held them hostage for over a year.

• Bagheri was actively involved in Iran’s military response to the 1979 Kurdish conflict. He also fought in nearly all major battles during the Iran-Iraq War, except Operation Samen-ol-A’emeh.

• In 1980, he joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

  

• Bagheri fought alongside his older brother, Hassan, for the first time during the Tariq al-Quds Operation in 1981.

• Mohammad’s brother, Hassan Bagheri, was a well-known IRGC commander who died in 1983. After his death, Mohammad led the IRGC Ground Forces’ intelligence and later became a key military strategist.

• Bagheri supported the ‘ethical security’ ideas of Major General Hassan Firouzabadi, who led the IRGC’s growth.

  

• Bagheri kept a low profile and was mostly seen during military drills.

• In 1988, Bagheri was appointed acting Deputy Chairman for Intelligence in the newly formed Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS). He held this position for years before becoming Director of Staff and Interoperability Affairs.

• In his first statement as AFGS Deputy Chairman, Bagheri called for the “liberation of all Muslim lands.”

• In 2008, he was promoted to the rank of Major General, becoming Iran’s youngest major general.

• In 1996, Bagheri helped plan a cross-border attack 10 kilometres inside Iraq on Kurdish opposition groups for IRGC commander Ahmad Kazemi.

• On 28 June 2016, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Bagheri as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, replacing Firouzabadi due to health issues and concerns over military performance.

  

• Bagheri worked closely with the Quds Force. He promoted the use of drones and intelligence gathering. He also aimed to expand Iran’s naval reach and preferred military ties with China over Russia.

• Mohammad Bagheri was part of the IRGC Command Network, a group of senior Iranian military leaders. As per the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), this group oversaw key areas, including planning, intelligence, special missions, and internal security.

• In September 2017, Bagheri visited Turkey as the head of a military delegation. He discussed Iran’s role in Syria and Iraq and opposed the Kurdish independence referendum, where Iraqi Kurds had voted for a separate state.

  

• During his 2017 visit to Turkey, he became the first Iranian military leader to publicly engage in such political discussions abroad.

• In October 2017, Mohammad Bagheri visited Iranian forces stationed in Syria’s Aleppo province.

• On 9 April 2019, Bagheri condemned the U.S. decision to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group. He said Iran would now see U.S. forces in the region as terrorists too and warned that Iran would respond firmly if they took any action.

• In February 2022, Bagheri stated the country would continue strengthening its ballistic missile program in both quality and quantity. His statement came during a major drone exercise, showing Iran’s focus on advancing its military power.

• In October 2022, Bagheri directed Iranian troops stationed in Crimea who helped Russia carry out drone attacks on Ukraine, mainly targeting power plants and civilian infrastructure.

• On 17 April 2025, Bagheri met Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defence, Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, in Tehran, marking the highest-level talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in decades.

  

• In June 2025, Mohammad Bagheri was killed in Israeli airstrikes during Operation Rising Lion, which targeted top Iranian military officials and key sites.