In brief
Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, previously sanctioned for human rights violations and linked to a past bombing, becomes head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi has been appointed as the new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran, following the tragic death of Gen. Hossein Salami in an Israeli airstrike. Vahidi's name is already well-known internationally, largely due to allegations surrounding a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that resulted in 85 fatalities. The Argentine judiciary has issued arrest warrants for multiple Iranian officials, including Vahidi, marking him as a key suspect in this tragic event. Interpol even released a Red Notice in 2007, indicating that an outstanding national arrest warrant for him exists.Born in 1958 in Shiraz, Iran, Vahidi joined the IRGC and revolutionary groups during the Iranian Revolution in 1979 while studying electronic engineering. He later obtained a Ph.D. in strategic studies. His military career includes service during the Iran-Iraq war and leadership of the IRGC's Quds Force from 1988 to 1998. From 2005 to 2013, he held significant roles within Iran’s defense ministry, including both deputy defense minister and defense minister. More recently, he served as interior minister until last August. Vahidi is currently facing sanctions from the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Britain for human rights infractions.
