Hossein Salami (Persian: حسین سلامی; born 1960) is an Iranian military officer who is the commander-in-chief of theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.^[2][3][4] Born inGolpayegan, he joined the IRGC during theIran–Iraq War, when he was a college student. He rose through the ranks, becoming deputy commander. On 21 April 2019, thesupreme leader of Iran,Ali Khamenei, appointed him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, replacing major generalMohammad Ali Jafari.

Sardar Major general Hossein Salami
Born	1960 (age 64–65) Golpayegan,Imperial State of Iran
Allegiance	Iran
Service/ branch	IRGC
Years of service	1981–present
Rank	Major general[1]
Commands	Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps University of Command and Staff IRGC Air Force
Battles / wars	Iran–Iraq War Iranian intervention in Iraq 2024 Iran–Israel conflict
Awards	Order of Fath (1st class)

Salami stands out among the commanders of the IRGC for his use of fiery and aggressive speeches targeting theUS,Israel andSaudi Arabia. According to researcherMehdi Khalaji, he has relied on "innovatively circumventingeconomic sanctions, developing Iran’s missile programme and maintaining the regime’s defiant regional policy".^[5]

Salami was born in 1960^[1] inGolpayegan, Isfahan, then part of theImperial State of Iran. In 1978, he was accepted in themechanical engineering department at theIran University of Science and Technology. When theIran–Iraq War started, he joined theIRGC. After the war, he continued his study and graduated with aMaster's degree in defense management.^[6]

After joining theIRGC when theIran–Iraq War started, Salami rose through the ranks, becoming deputy commander.^[5] On 21 April 2019,Ali Khamenei appointed him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, replacingMohammad Ali Jafari who had held the post since September 2007.^[1]

On 7 January 2020, Salami spoke at the funeral of his comrade in arms and IRGCQuds force subordinate,Qasem Soleimani, who had been killed the previous Friday nearIraq'sBaghdad International Airport by aUS 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 of8 January 2020 shootdown of UIA flight PS752 due to IRGC missiles, on 13 January Salami went to theIran Parliament and said "We did make 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, referencingCOVID-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-runPress TV.^[10]

Amidst theMahsa Amini protests, Salami who was speaking at a funeral of victims killedin a terrorist attack byISIS stated: "This sinister plan, is a plan hatched … in the White House and the Zionist regime", while proclaiming: '"Do not come to the streets. Today is the last day of riots," and further added "Don’t sell your honour to America and don’t slap the security forces, who are defending you, in the face."^[11]

Salami stands out among the commanders of the Revolutionary Guards for his fiery and aggressive speeches targeting theUS,Israel^[12] andSaudi Arabia.^[13] For instance, during a speech on Iranian TV, Salami reportedly stated: '“We are planning to break America, Israel, and their partners and allies. Our ground forces should cleanse the planet from the filth of their existence”[1]

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.”^[14]

In the aftermath of theApril 2024 Iranian attack on Israel, Salami stated: "Our information on all of the hits is not complete yet but on that part of the hits that we have accurate, documented and field-related reports show that this operation has been carried out with a success that exceeded the expectation".^[15]

In 2024 during theGaza war Salami said:

Look at the scenes of thecrime in Gaza. It is the real face ofWestern civilization that wants to transfer this culture to the whole world in the phenomenon ofglobalization. Cruelty, war, sedition, fire and blood are the main elements of the cultural identity of the Western world, so this situation cannot be tolerated for us. TheUnited States has targeted the entireIslamic world … it seeks to dominate all Muslims, hijack their cultural identities and seize their wealth. All Muslims are, therefore, in the same boat. If the enemy manages to infiltrate into a Muslim state, it will go on with others. Therefore, the path for aggressors to [advance their] dominance must be blocked.Jihad for the liberation of those Muslims who are under the control of theTaghut (polytheists) is the most attractive and most beautiful responsibility and mission for us, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.^[16]

According to theUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1747,^[17] sanctions were imposed on Salami in March 2007.^{[18][failed verification][19][failed verification][20]}

On 8 April 2019, theUS inflicted economic and travel sanctions on the IRGC and organizations, companies, and individuals affiliated with them.^[21] Salami said the IRGC was proud thatWashington 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.^[12]

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 theDeath of Mahsa Amini, and the persecution of protestors in thewidescale protests that ensued.^[22]

• Commander ofIRGC University of Command and Staff (1992–1997)
• Operations deputy ofIRGC Joint Staff (1997–2005)
• Commander ofIRGC Air Force (2005–2009)
• Academic staff ofSupreme National Defense University
• Deputy commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (2009–2019)^[6]
• The commander-in-chief of theIRGC (2019–)^[4][3]

Salami's brother, Mostafa Salami, is a senior officer in the regular armed force.^[12] He is also an authority ofKhatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters.^[23][24][25]

• List of Iranian two-star generals since 1979
• List of senior officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

•   Media related toHossein Salami at Wikimedia Commons
•   Quotations related toHossein Salami at Wikiquote