Mohammad Bagheri (general)
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Mohammad Bagheri (Persian: محمد باقری, 1960 – 13 June 2025; born Mohammad-Hossein Afshordi Persian: محمدحسین افشردی) was an Iranian military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who served as the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces from 2016 to 2025. The chief of staff is considered the highest ranking military officer in the Islamic Republic of Iran and is responsible for the coordination and supervision of Iran’s regular army (Artesh) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Bagheri was killed along with other senior officers during a series of airstrikes launched by Israel on 13 June 2025. He was the highest ranking military officer in Iran at the time of his death. Mohammad Bagheri was one of Iran's most prominent military commanders and served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 2016 until his death in June 2025. He was born into a revolutionary and religious family in Tehran. He was the younger brother of Hassan Bagheri (Gholamhossein Afshordi), the founder of the IRGC's Operations Intelligence Unit. Mohammad Bagheri played a key role in strengthening Iran's defense capabilities, with more than 45 years of service in the IRGC. He was killed in the early hours of Friday, June 13, 2025, at the age of 65, following an attack on Tehran by Israel. Bagheri began his military career in 1979 with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and served during the Iran-Iraq War. From 2002 to 2014, he was the Deputy for Information and Operations of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Additionally, he served as the Deputy Coordinator of the Khatam ol-Anbiya Central Headquarters from 2007 to 2016. Between 2014 and 2016, he held the position of Deputy for Joint Affairs and Structures of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was a lecturer at Tarbiat Modares University and a faculty member of the Supreme National Defense University of Iran. The United States Department of the Treasury placed him on its sanctions list in November 2019. The Canadian government sanctioned him for human rights violations in Iran on October 3, 2022. The European Union also sanctioned him in October 2022 for sending a drone to Russia for use in the invasion of Ukraine.