Mohammad Pakpour

Mohammad Pakpour is an Iranian military officer who has served as the commander of the Islamic [Revolutionary Guard Corps] since 2025.
He previously served as head of the Islamic [Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces]. On 13 June 2025, he was appointed head of the IRGC following the death of his predecessor, Hossein Salami, in the June 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran. Pakpour was succeeded as commander of the Ground Forces by Mohammad Karami.

Career

Pakpour joined the Islamic Revolutionary [Guard Corps] in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. He served during the 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran and the 8-year-long Iran–Iraq War. His responsibilities included five years of Army Operations Command, commander of the 8th Najaf Division, commander of 31st Ashura Division of Command chief Army's Northern Command headquarters. Pakpur has a PhD in Political Geography and has had responsibility for measures such as fighting terrorism in northwest Iran and establishing security in southeast Iran, as well as holding of specialized exercises.
During a maneuver, he asserted that the IRGC wants to promote the security of the region and the abilities of armed forces and to demonstrate new tactics in military operations. He expressed that drones like Hemaseh help to keep the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on their toes and shows the consistency and preparedness of the force.
Commandos of the Saberin Unit special forces, under were his direct command, were responsible for neutralizing terrorists during the 2017 Tehran attacks.

U.S. 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. He has also been sanctioned by the European Union, Australia, Japan, and Canada for his involvement with the IRGC and its wider operations. Although these sanctions were temporarily lifted following the 2015 nuclear agreement, they were reinstated after the United States withdrew from the deal.