Hossein Dehghan

Hossein Dehghan is an IRGC brigadier general who served as Defense Minister in Hassan Rouhani's first cabinet (2013–2017). He joined the IRGC at its founding and commanded contingents in Lebanon and Syria in the early 1980s. He served as commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force from 1990 to 1992, and later as Deputy Defense Minister under Mohammad Khatami. As Defense Minister he oversaw Iran's defence industrial base during a period overlapping with the activities of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's defence research programmes. Under Rouhani's second term he was replaced by Amir Hatami. He ran as a presidential candidate in 2021. He is subject to US and EU sanctions. He was a military adviser to Ali Khamenei before his cabinet appointment.