Hossein Salami | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1960 (age 63–64) Golpayegan, Imperial State of Iran |
| Allegiance |  Iran |
| Service/ |  Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Years of service | 1981–present |
| Rank | Major general[1] |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | Iran–Iraq War |
Hossein Salami (born 1960) is an Iranian military officer who is the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).[2][3][4]
Salami was born in 1960[1] in Golpayegan, Isfahan province, Iran. In 1978, he was accepted in the mechanical engineering department at the Iran University of Science and Technology. When the Iran–Iraq War started, he joined the IRGC. After the war, he continued his study and graduated with a Master's degree in defense management.[5]
On 21 April 2019, Ali Khamenei appointed Salami as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, replacing Mohammad Ali Jafari who had held the post since September 2007.[1]
On 20 June 2019, Salami became internationally known when the IRGC downed a US surveillance drone.[6]
On 7 January 2020, Salami spoke at the funeral of his comrade in arms and IRGC Quds force subordinate, Qasem Soleimani, who had been killed the previous Friday near Iraq's Baghdad International Airport by a US airstrike: "I say the last word at the beginning: we will take revenge. We will take revenge, a revenge that will be tough, strong, decisive and finishing, and will make them regret."[7][8]
In the matter of 8 January 2020 shootdown of UIA flight PS752 due to IRGC missiles, on 13 January Salami went to the Iran Parliament and said "We did made a mistake. Some of our compatriots were martyred because of our mistake but it was unintentional... In my all lifetime I haven't been as sorry as much as now. Never... I wish I had been on board and burned with them... May God forgive us and then after than Iranian people and the families of the victims forgive us. And we for this incident, we were determined all the more to make it up."[9]
On 5 March 2020, Salami said, referencing COVID-19, that "We are now dealing with a biological war." He argued that it "may be the product of American biological warfare." This theory was amplified on 8 March by the state-run Press TV.[10]
According to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747,[11] sanctions were imposed on Salami on March 2007.[12][failed verification][13][failed verification][14]
On 8 April 2019, the US inflicted economic and travel sanctions on the IRGC and organizations, companies, and individuals affiliated with them.[15] Salami said the IRGC was proud that Washington named them as a terrorist group.[1] It was later remarked that Salami was included on the sanctions list as he had been promoted on 21 April commander of the IRGC.[16]
On 3 October 2022, Salami was included in a Canadian sanctions list that included 9 Iranian entities, and 25 senior officials. The sanctions came in reaction to the Death of Mahsa Amini, and the persecution of protestors in the widescale protests that ensued.[17]
Salami's brother, Mostafa Salami, is a senior officer in the regular armed force.[16] He is also an authority of Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters.[18][19][20]
Salami stands out among the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards for his fiery and aggressive speeches targeting the US, Israel[16] and Saudi Arabia.[21]
In January 2019 Salami said: “We will fight them on the global level, not just in one spot. Our war is not a local war. We have plans to defeat the world powers.”[22]
