Ahmad Vahidi Named New IRGC Commander-in-Chief After Pakpour Killed in US-Israeli Strikes

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appointed Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as its new commander-in-chief on Sunday, March 1, replacing Mohammad Pakpour who was killed in the US-Israeli strikes. Vahidi is a founding member of the IRGC and former commander of the Quds Force (later succeeded by Qassem Soleimani), and served as Iran's defense minister from 2009 to 2013. He had been serving as IRGC deputy commander since December 31, 2025. Vahidi is wanted by Interpol over alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and is under US and EU sanctions.