Mohsen Rezaei

Mohsen Rezaei was the longest-serving commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, leading it from 1981 to 1997 — a period spanning the Iran-Iraq War, the Iran-Contra affair, and the IRGC's transformation from a revolutionary militia into a major military-industrial force. Appointed by Ruhollah Khomeini at age 27, he oversaw the IRGC's wartime operations and its expansion into intelligence and economic activities. After leaving the IRGC, he served as Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council under Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005, 2009, and 2013. In 2021, he was appointed Vice President for Economic Affairs under Ebrahim Raisi. An Argentine court issued an international arrest warrant for him in 2006 in connection with the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires. In March 2026, Mojtaba Khamenei appointed him as military adviser to the Supreme Leader.