The position of Commander-in-Chief (Farmandehe Koll-e Qova (Persian: فرمانده کل قوا), formerly known as Bozorg Arteshtārān (Persian: بزرگارتشتاران) is the ultimate authority of all the Armed Forces of Iran, and the highest possible military position within the Islamic Republic of Iran. The position was established during the Persian Constitutional Revolution. According to the Constitution of Iran, the position is vested in the Supreme Leader of Iran and is held since 1981.
| Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran | |
|---|---|
| فرمانده کل نیروهای مسلح جمهوری اسلامی ایران (Persian) | |
 | |
| Armed Forces of Iran | |
| Seat | Tehran, Iran |
| Appointer | Assembly of Experts |
| Formation | 6 August 1906 |
| First holder | Shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah |
After the 1979 Revolution of Iran and 15 days after the inauguration of the first president Abolhassan Banisadr in February 1980, Ruhollah Khomeini delegated him as the Commander-in-Chief.[1] According to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, this was due to the illness of Ayatollah Khomeini and his concerns about the future of the revolution (in his absence).[2] In the decree from Khomeini to Banisadr it is mentioned:
"At this critical stage where the need to concentrate forces is greater than any stage, you are appointed as my representative to the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in the manner determined by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran."[1]
Following the impeachment of Banisadr in June 1981, the title of Commander-in-Chief was not transferred to the next president Mohammad-Ali Rajai, and is kept to this day by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
List of commanders-in-chief edit
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Military rank | Military branch | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
 • Sublime State of Persia (1906–1925) • .svg){kind=small}
| |||||||
| 1 | Shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah (1853–1907) | 6 August 1906 | 3 January 1907 † | 150 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 2 | Shah Mohammad Ali Shah (1872–1925) | 3 January 1907 | 16 July 1909 | 2 years, 194 days | N/A | N/A | |
| – | Regent Alireza Khan (1847–1910) | 16 July 1909[3] | 22 September 1910 † | 1 year, 56 days | N/A | N/A | |
| – | Regent Abolqasem Khan (1856–1927) | 22 September 1910[3] | 21 July 1914 | 3 years, 314 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 3 | Shah Ahmad Shah (1898–1930) | 21 July 1914[3] | 14 February 1925 | 11 years, 147 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 4 | Prime Minister Reza Khan (1878–1944) [a] | 14 February 1925[4] | 15 December 1925 | 304 days | Brigadier general | Persian Cossack Brigade (1894–1921) | |
 • Imperial State of Iran (1925–1979) • 
| |||||||
| 1 | Shah Reza Shah (1878–1944) | 15 December 1925 | 16 September 1941 | 15 years, 275 days | Brigadier general | Persian Cossack Brigade (1894–1921) | |
| 2 | Shah Mohammad Reza Shah (1919–1980) | 16 September 1941 | 21 July 1952 | 10 years, 309 days | Captain[5] | Imperial Iranian Army (1936–1941)[5] | |
| 3 | Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh (1882–1967) [b] | 21 July 1952 | 19 August 1953 | 1 year, 29 days | N/A | N/A | |
| (2) | Shah Mohammad Reza Shah (1919–1980) | 19 August 1953 | 11 February 1979 | 25 years, 176 days | Captain | Imperial Iranian Army (1936–1941) | |
 • Islamic Republic of Iran (1980–present) •
| |||||||
| 1 | President Abolhassan Banisadr (1933–2021) [c] | 19 February 1980[8] | 10 June 1981[9] | 1 year, 111 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 2 | Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini (1902–1989) | 10 June 1981 | 3 June 1989 † | 7 years, 358 days | N/A | N/A | |
| 3 | Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (born 1939) | 4 June 1989 | Incumbent | 34 years, 322 days | N/A[d] | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (24 November 1979–24 February 1980)[10] | |
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ Appointed by the Parliament of Iran.[4]
- ^ Mosaddegh was granted emergency powers by Shah of Iran to rule by decree.[6] While holding office as the Prime Minister and Minister of War (renamed to "Ministry of National Defence") simultaneously, Mossadegh went over the authority of Shah, the Commander-in-Chief vetted in the Persian Constitution of 1906, and appointed commanders in Imperial Iranian Army and Police.[7]
- ^ Delegated by the Supreme Leader of Iran.[8]
- ^ He was caretaker of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the highest position in the corps.[10] At the time military ranks were not used.
References edit
- ^ a b "امام خمینی (س) - حکم انتصاب آقای بنی صدر به سمت فرماندهی کل قوا". www.imam-khomeini.ir. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ "ماجرای سپردن فرماندهی کل قوا به بنی صدر به روایت آیتالله هاشمی". اقتصادنیوز (in Persian). 2023-02-19. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ a b c Sheikh-ol-Islami, M. J. (July 28, 2011) [December 15, 1984]. "AḤMAD SHAH QĀJĀR". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. 6. Vol. I. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 657–660. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Elton L. Daniel (2012). The History of Iran. ABC-CLIO. p. 136. ISBN 978-0313375095.
- ^ a b Ali Akbar Dareini (1998). The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty: Memoirs of Former General Hussein Fardust. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 15–16. ISBN 8120816420.
- ^ James Buchan (2013). Days of God: The Revolution in Iran and Its Consequences. Simon and Schuster. p. 64. ISBN 978-1416597773.
- ^ John Prados (2006). Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA. Ivan R. Dee. pp. 102–103. ISBN 1615780114.
- ^ a b Sinkaya, Bayram (2015), The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations, Iranian Studies, vol. 25, Routledge, p. 96, ISBN 9781317525646
- ^ Sinkaya, Bayram (2015), The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations, Iranian Studies, vol. 25, Routledge, p. 88, ISBN 9781317525646
- ^ a b Detailed biography of Ayatollah Khamenei, Leader of Islamic Revolution, Khamenei.ir, 23 September 2013, retrieved 17 March 2016