Amir Ali Hajizadeh
Amir Ali Hajizadeh was an Iranian military officer who served as the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces, a position he held from October 2009 until his assassination in June 2025 by an Israeli airstrike.
Early life
Hajizadeh was born in Tehran on 28 February 1962.Hajizadeh was born on 28 February 1962 in Tehran to a family originally from Karaj.
He joined Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1980; served as a sniper in key Iran–Iraq War operations, including Karbala 4, Karbala 5, and Valfajr 8.
Career
During Eghtedar-e Velayat war games, on 8 March 2016, Hajizadeh said: "the reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2,000 km is to be able to hit our enemies from a safe distance."Hajizadeh was also one of the main figures in Iran who led and executed the April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel, known in Iran as Operation True Promise and October 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel, known in Iran as Operation True Promise 2. On 1 July 2024, he stated: "We are hopeful of the arrival of the opportunity for Operation True Promise 2..." and spoke of his wish to have another chance to launch a large-scale attack on Israel.
He had also spoken openly about Iran arming its allies in the region, saying, for example: "As it is obvious from the weapons of our dear ones in Palestine, Lebanon and elsewhere, it has now become clear that they are in fact being helped and supplied by Iran". During a speech before students which aired on IRINN TV on 1 December 2023, Hajizadeh remarked: "Look, some people ask what the Islamic Republic has done with regard to Gaza. The Islamic Republic has done what it had to do. Until not so long ago their only means of defense was stones. Today they are defending themselves with rockets and they have advanced weapons and capabilities". He was awarded the Order of Fath in 2024.
Role in Missile Development
Hajizadeh was transferred to the IRGC Aerospace Division, where he was mentored by Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, known as the "Father of Iran’s Missile Program". Hajizadeh organized the first missile unit, “Hadid”. He was promoted by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to the position of the commander of IRGC Aerospace Force of Iran. He oversaw of the ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.Major Operations & Military Exercises
Hajizadeh directed missile strikes in retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, as well as drone attacks against Israel and the United States.Hajizadeh commanded missile strikes against ISIS in Syria during Operation "Night of Power" and led large-scale naval-air exercises, such as "Great Prophet IX", in 2015.
U.S. and Canada sanctions
On 24 June 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him, freezing any of his U.S. assets and banning U.S. persons from doing business with him.On 29 September 2022, following the protests to the death of Mahsa Amini, Canada added Amir Ali Hajizadeh's name to the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List. On November 2023, Hajizadeh was sanctioned by the European Union for facilitating the transfer of UAVs, such as the Shahed 136 and Mohajer 6 to Russian forces for their use in the war against Ukraine.
The downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
Hajizadeh was the commander of Aerospace Force of IRGC on 8 January 2020 when two surface-to-air missiles shot down Boeing 737–800 Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 soon after it took off while still in Iranian airspace, killing all 176 passengers and crew. The Islamic Republic of Iran denied that its missiles brought down the plane for three days, claiming it was a plane crash. As the evidence and international pressures escalated, IRGC issued a letter on 11 January 2020 and finally Hajizadeh accepted "full responsibility". Despite this letter, no-one from IRGC, including Hajizadeh, were demoted or punished.About three years later, in November 2022, Hajizadeh blamed others for the late acceptance of responsibility: "The decision was made after 48 hours. We knew what happened from the first hour, but other entities and organizations did not accept it." He also added, "48 hours is not too long ".
Hajizadeh played a key role in the downing of Flight 752 in January 2020. He accepted responsibility, describing it as “human error,” and was later acquitted by a military court.