Ahmad Vahidi is one of the old-generation commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He is particularly important because he was one of the earliest commanders of the Quds Force, long before Qassem Soleimani and Esmail Qaani.
Born in 1958, He joined the IRGC in 1979, shortly after the Iranian Revolution. He became involved in IRGC intelligence and was a senior intelligence official during the Iran–Iraq War.
In 1988, he became the commander of Quds Force, making him its first commander in the organization's early form. He remained in the position until 1997. Qassem Soleimani succeeded him in 1997. Qaani later became Soleimani's deputy.
Vahidi served as Iran's defense minister from 2009–2013 under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He later served as interior minister from 2021 to 2024.
First Commander of the Quds Force?
Ahmad Vahidi is generally regarded as the first commander of the Quds Force after it was formally established as an independent IRGC branch in 1988. The European Union's official sanctions record explicitly describes him as the "first commander of the IRGC Quds Force in 1988."
The early history is a little complicated because Iran already had overseas operations units before 1988. The IRGC operated things such as the Ramadan Headquarters in Iraq and the Lebanon contingent during the 1980s. Those activities eventually evolved into the Quds Force.
So the simplified succession is: 1988–1997 Ahmad Vahidi, 1997–2020 Qassem Soleimani and 2020–present Esmail Qaani.
Vahidi therefore wasn't merely an early commander — he was there at the creation of the organization in its modern form.
The man who originally commanded the Quds Force eventually returned decades later to become commander-in-chief of the entire IRGC. That gives him an unusually long institutional history inside Iran's security establishment.
Where was Vahidi on 28 February 2026
Vahidi apparently wasn't seen publicly for weeks after February 8, according to later reporting. He eventually reappeared at ceremonies connected with Khamenei's death.
The February 28 attack appears to have killed a remarkable number of Iran's top leadership simultaneously, while a handful of extremely senior figures—including Vahidi and Qaani—survived.
Reuters reported that the IRGC had contingency plans and decentralized command structures that helped it continue functioning even after the deaths of its top commanders.
Why he's especially important now
After the death of senior IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour during the U.S.–Israeli war, Vahidi was brought to the top of the IRGC command structure. Recent reporting describes him as the IRGC's commander-in-chief.
So Vahidi and Qaani are now two of the most important military figures under Iran's new leadership.
No comments:
Post a Comment