📕 | Photo published for the first time: The genius who turned geography into a weapon against America: (1/2)

Geopolitics, asymmetric warfare, and the people. If one examines the numerous articles authored by Dr. Gholam Ali Rashid in academic journals and military and defense publications, these three concepts appear more frequently than any others. After gaining experience during the eight year Iran-Iraq War, the commander pursued studies in political geography and completed the highest academic levels in the field. The combination of wartime experience, scholarly research, and the geopolitical perspective of his academic discipline led him to formulate a theoretical framework for Iran’s future defense strategy. It was a vision that, according to the article, later materialized during the forty day war against the American and Zionist enemy.

In the introduction to one of his books, he wrote: “I have repeatedly spoken in lectures and meetings about the necessity of changing the method of studying the Iran-Iraq War and adopting a new approach to the experiences of the Sacred Defense period. To overcome the current situation, it appears that the experience of the eight year Sacred Defense requires renewed analysis and reassessment, and this necessitates the use of new research methods for studying military and strategic capacities in warfare.” He was among the first commanders in Iran’s armed forces to employ such methods in the study of military and strategic capabilities in order to strengthen Iran’s resilience in a future war with the United States.

The quiet and low profile Iranian commander spent the decades following the Iran-Iraq War working within the Armed Forces General Staff and the Khatm al Anbiya Central Headquarters, examining and developing Iran’s defense strategies for future conflicts. His academic writings and research remained closely focused on these questions. Even in the university environment, he approached his work with a strong problem solving orientation.

Among the research topics and articles in which he participated were: the role of natural geopolitical factors in formulating the defense strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran against American military threats originating from Iraqi territory; a theoretical model for designing defense strategies based on geopolitical factors; a theoretical analysis of the impact of geographical and geopolitical factors in coastal and oceanic regions on national security; the formulation of comprehensive defense strategies for future warfare; the components and characteristics of intelligent command and control on the battlefield; political and diplomatic lessons from the three recent wars in Southwest Asia and the transformation of military victories into political achievements; and studies of emerging patterns in future warfare compared with the eight year war and more recent conflicts.

The experienced commander, a doctoral graduate of Tarbiat Modares University and a professor at the National Defense University, concluded that in any future conflict with the United States, Iran would need to transform its geography and geopolitical position into a strategic weapon capable of offsetting the technological advantages of the American military. According to the article, aspects of this vision were reflected in the recent conflict in the southern sector of the battlefield in the Persian Gulf. He was among the earliest architects of the concepts of asymmetric defense and active deterrence in Iran, believing that national security required the simultaneous strengthening of military, cyber, intelligence, and psychological capabilities. Many of the country’s military exercises, air defense systems, and sensitive operational plans were reportedly designed or implemented under his supervision.

Shaheed Rashid, a native of Dezful, was thirty three years old when he served as Deputy for Operations of the Joint Staff of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from 1986 to 1989. His father, out of devotion to Imam Ali (A), named all of his sons Ali.

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In 1989, Rashid was transferred to the Armed Forces General Staff, where he served for ten years as Deputy for Intelligence and Operations. From 1999 to 2016, he was Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff, and from 2016 until his martyrdom he commanded the Khatm al Anbiya Central Headquarters, the wartime command center responsible for operational leadership of Iran’s armed forces during national crises.

The young man who, in December 1981, announced the beginning of Operation Tariq al Quds to his forces with the words, “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. By order of the Commander in Chief of the IRGC, I hereby communicate the operational codeword to all participating units: From Rashid to all units, O Husayn (A),” was martyred forty four years later in the early hours of June 13, 2025, on the road to Quds, at the hands of what the article describes as the occupying enemy of Quds, and departed for the higher realm.

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📕 | Photo published for the first time: The architect of Iran’s geopolitical defense and the man who carried books to family gatherings: (1/2)

Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri belonged to the same generation of commanders shaped by the hardships and experiences of the Iran-Iraq War who, despite continuing their military service afterward, also pursued higher education in fields closely connected to their professional responsibilities. He earned a doctorate in political geography and geopolitics from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran. Alongside Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, he was among the founding members of the Iranian Geopolitics Association. These were men who, after the demanding experience of eight years of war against the Ba’athist regime, turned toward the pursuit of knowledge. The combination of practical wartime experience and academic scholarship transformed him, together with Martyr Rashid, into one of the principal architects of Iran’s national security and defense doctrine.

Before becoming Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Iranian commander largely remained out of the public spotlight. Another defining characteristic of his career was his extensive intelligence experience. Prior to assuming the highest military office, he had developed into a complete military and intelligence professional, known for qualities often associated with intelligence officers: speaking little, acting with confidence, making firm decisions, and relying on carefully verified information. These qualities were evident in footage released following Operation True Promise 2, when he confidently addressed the camera and outlined details of the operation, including strikes against Nevatim and Hatzerim air bases, Mossad facilities, strategic radar systems, and military assembly areas around the Gaza Strip.

He embodied the profile of a military commander whose actions on the battlefield and mastery of strategic and intelligence affairs demonstrated the depth and resilience of the military institutions under his command. During the Iran-Iraq War, he served in intelligence and operations positions within the Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Karbala Headquarters, and the Khatam al Anbiya Headquarters. He later became head of the Intelligence Department, Deputy for Intelligence and Operations at the Armed Forces General Staff, and Deputy Coordinator of the Khatam al Anbiya Central Wartime Headquarters.

In 2016, the reserved Iranian commander assumed the position of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, placing the Army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the national law enforcement command under a unified strategic framework directed through the institution he led. His brother recalled: “Even at family gatherings, he always carried a book with him, whether it concerned military affairs or historical subjects. He was particularly interested in the history of the World Wars and often said that he had read the book The Story of the German Army in the War (The Third Reich) twice.”

The leading strategist of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces did not limit his efforts to military and defense affairs alone. Strengthening the country’s defense diplomacy became another significant aspect of his service during his nine years as Chief of the General Staff. Official visits to Russia, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan took place during his tenure. Born in 1960 in Tehran’s Khorasan Square district, he authored numerous articles on subjects including geopolitics and regional power, defense studies and military strategy, border management, and maritime law.

A former mechanical engineering student at Amir Kabir University of Technology, he was also included on sanctions lists imposed by the United States and Canada.

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The modest commander, who played a significant role in intelligence operations against armed groups outside Iran during the 1990s while serving as Deputy for Intelligence at the Armed Forces General Staff, was ultimately martyred in the early hours of June 13, 2025, together with his wife, Ashraf Afshardi, and his daughter, Fereshteh Bagheri. They were buried in Section 24 of Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery in Tehran, alongside his well-known brother, Hassan Bagheri.

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📕 | Published for the first time: A photograph of Martyr Major General Salami in conversation with the martyred Commander-in-Chief: (1/2)

Twenty-nine years ago, during the Senior War Command Course of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a 37 year old brigadier general was explaining the concept of asymmetric warfare against extra-regional adversaries: “If a war shifts from the air to the sea and land, engagement with American forces becomes possible, and victory is also achievable. This type of warfare neutralizes the effectiveness of the enemy’s advanced weapons systems and partially disarms him. Another advantage is the economic burden it imposes by turning the conflict into a prolonged war of attrition, particularly because the financial cost of American military involvement in distant regions is extremely high.”

Iran had already begun preparing the structure of its armed forces for the possibility of a future confrontation with the United States. Within this framework, it gradually trained and organized its military for conflict with a far stronger opponent. During one of the advanced war courses at the Command and Staff College, senior commanders gathered for instruction. One of the subjects was taught by an officer who had already tested these ideas during the Iran-Iraq War while serving at the Nuh Nabi (A) Naval Headquarters, where this style of warfare had been employed against Iraqi and American naval forces. Twenty-two years later, that same officer would become Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Major General Hossein Salami.

The Nuh Nabi (A) Naval Headquarters and its commanders can be regarded as the birthplace of Iran’s concept of asymmetric naval defense. Kharg Island, as Iran’s principal oil export terminal, together with the central and western waters of the Persian Gulf, made the headquarters a key location for monitoring, controlling, and confronting extra-regional forces operating in the Gulf. During the Tanker War and other maritime operations, it became the center of the Revolutionary Guard’s naval organization and operations against American and other foreign forces. The concepts that Salami and his colleagues later taught at the Command and Staff College had already demonstrated their effectiveness in practice during the 1980s.

Concepts such as asymmetric warfare, replacing large naval vessels with smaller, faster, and more agile but highly lethal craft, exploiting the geography of Iran’s long coastline, transforming the coast into an invisible defensive belt, conducting harassment mine-laying operations, restricting the enemy’s maritime, economic, and strategic corridors, and building large fleets of small but agile vessels all emerged from the operational experiences of the Nuh Nabi (A) Naval Headquarters. The headquarters served as a laboratory for learning, testing, and refining methods of confronting extra-regional naval forces. These were the same lessons Salami would later teach in advanced military courses.

Experience gained from maritime warfare, particularly encounters with the United States Navy, convinced Salami, Fadavi, Tangsiri, and their comrades that confronting the world’s most powerful naval force required limiting the enemy’s freedom of action and developing anti-access strategies. Their objective was to create an environment that imposed significant costs on the United States Navy while restricting its operational reach through asymmetric methods. Over time, these measures increasingly constrained the enemy’s room for maneuver.

The continuation of this strategic approach gradually transformed the naval forces of both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Islamic Republic of Iran Army into major strategic actors in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Advances in missile and drone capabilities further strengthened their position and expanded their operational influence.

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According to the article, the value of these investments and strategic calculations became evident during the forty day war, when anti-access operations were activated and the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world’s energy supplies passed, was effectively closed by the decision of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces. The article claims that the world’s largest naval fleet has thus far been unable to overcome these obstacles.

The eight year war against the Ba’athist enemy served as a vast laboratory and university for military commanders such as Hossein Salami. Although he was martyred in June 2025 during an attack by the Zionist enemy, the experience he gained at the Nuh Nabi (A) Headquarters and the strategic concepts he and other Iranian defense thinkers developed during the 1990s ultimately bore fruit during the forty day war. According to the article, Iran has now established itself as the undisputed master of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf forever.

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📕 | Published for the first time: A rarely seen photograph of Martyr Major General Ali Shadmani meeting the martyred Commander-in-Chief

Martyr Major General Ali Shadmani, who served in Iran’s armed forces for 46 years, was appointed commander of the Khatam al Anbiya (A) Central Headquarters on June 13, 2025, just hours after the martyrdom of Major General Gholam Ali Rashid. His military career began in 1979 with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and progressed steadily through a series of operational and command positions, eventually placing him at the head of Iran’s principal wartime command structure during one of the country’s most critical periods.

Over the course of his career, Shadmani held numerous senior positions, including Commander of the 32nd Ansar al Husayn (A) Division, Commander of the Najaf Ashraf Headquarters in western Iran, Deputy for Operations at the Armed Forces General Staff, Deputy Coordinator of the Khatam al Anbiya (A) Central Headquarters, and ultimately Commander of the headquarters itself. A graduate of the 1989 Command and Staff Course, he spent much of his career away from the public spotlight, focusing instead on military planning and the development of Iran’s defense architecture alongside other senior commanders.

Shadmani gained wider public attention during the mid-2010s when he spoke about the geographic scope of the Axis of Resistance, stating that Iran’s operational front had expanded from the Arvand River to Bab al Mandab. According to the article, these remarks reflected years of strategic planning aimed at building interconnected regional defense networks across Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

On the first day of the June 2025 war, the Leader appointed Shadmani to command Iran’s wartime headquarters and promoted him to the rank of Major General. Having begun his career as a young fighter under commanders such as Martyr Hassan Tork, he eventually rose to direct the country’s highest military operational command. Gen. Shadmani was martyred on June 25, 2025, after nearly five decades of military service, a career the article describes as defined by persistence, discipline, and continuous dedication to Iran’s defense.

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📕 | Published for the first time: A photograph of Martyr Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh meeting the martyred Commander-in-Chief

Where did you find such determination?

Amir Ali Hajizadeh joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1980 and became one of the key figures in Iran’s missile program. In 1984, he accompanied Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam to Syria for missile training and later played a major role in developing Iran’s missile force. During the years following the Iran-Iraq War, he and his colleagues oversaw the construction of extensive underground missile facilities across Iran. By 2004, his expertise in large-scale tunnel construction had become so significant that he was publicly involved in a major national water transfer tunnel project, helping transfer military engineering experience to civilian infrastructure.

A major turning point came in 2009 with the merger of the IRGC Air Force and missile units to form the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Under Hajizadeh’s leadership, the force expanded beyond missiles and drones into space capabilities. In 2012, the Aerospace Force established its Space Command, pursuing the goal of placing Iranian satellites into orbit and applying defense technologies to broader national projects.

These efforts produced notable milestones, including the launches of the Noor-1 satellite in April 2020, Noor-2 in March 2022, and Noor-3 in September 2023. The same missile technologies used to place satellites into orbit also formed the backbone of Iran’s strategic missile arsenal. According to the article, this capability was later demonstrated in a series of operations known as True Promise 1, 2, 3, and 4, which showcased the reach and operational capacity of the Aerospace Force.

Hajizadeh was martyred at the age of 64 during the opening hours of the June 2025 war. The article argues that one of his greatest achievements was building an institution capable of continuing its mission even in the absence of its commander. From underground missile cities beneath Iran’s mountains to satellite launches hundreds of kilometers above the Earth, and later military operations across the region, the force he helped create reflected a belief often associated with Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam: “Only weak people work according to the limits of their resources.”

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📕 | First time published: The Sharif University physics student who became the mastermind behind Operation True Promise:

Mahmoud Bagheri, one of the most influential figures in Iran’s missile program, spent nearly four decades working largely out of public view. Despite holding senior command positions within the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he consistently avoided media attention and interviews. His role became more widely known only after his martyrdom, when senior commanders revealed that he had been a principal architect behind the planning and execution of Operations True Promise 1 and 2, among the largest missile strikes ever conducted by Iran. Current Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi later described Bagheri as a central figure in designing and coordinating those operations.

A native of Tehran’s Mehrabad district and a servant of a local Imam Husayn (A) mourning congregation, Bagheri initially studied physics at Sharif University of Technology. Following the advice of Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, he changed his academic path toward civil engineering and surveying, disciplines that could directly support Iran’s growing missile program. As a graduate of Khajeh Nasir University, he became a key specialist in missile launch calculations and ballistic operations, eventually helping build what the article describes as the largest missile arsenal in the region and one of the largest missile forces in the world.

Despite receiving the Fath Medal from the martyred Leader after the True Promise operations, Bagheri reportedly refused to wear it. When asked by his son why he did not display an award that many considered a great honor, he replied that he would not wear it while colleagues and mentors who had taught him and contributed to the missile program had yet to receive the same recognition. The story is presented as an example of his humility and devotion to his fellow servicemen.

Bagheri was martyred in the early hours of June 14, 2025, after approximately 40 years of service. According to the article, one of his most enduring achievements was the creation of a missile force capable of operating effectively even in the absence of its commanders. Years of planning, training exercises, and operational preparation across missile bases throughout Iran ensured continuity during subsequent conflicts. Martyr Ali Larijani later described him as “one of the country’s greatest military assets.”

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📕 | Hassan Mohaqeq:

Less than 48 hours before a major wartime operation during the Iran-Iraq War, Hassan Mohaqeq, then a battalion commander, was informed that one of his volunteers had a past connection with opposition groups and was therefore barred from participating. The young volunteer pleaded for permission to join the operation. Unsure of what to do, Mohaqeq and those around him reportedly sought guidance through a reading of the Qur’an and came upon the verse associated with sincere repentance. Permission was granted, and the volunteer went on to become the battalion’s first martyr in that operation. Years later, Mohaqeq would recount the episode as one of the most memorable experiences of the war.

Mohaqeq himself was shaped by the hardships of the Iran-Iraq War. Having first gone to the front in 1981, he served in various combat roles and was severely wounded in late spring 1988. His injuries were so grave that he was mistakenly declared dead and placed among the bodies awaiting transfer to a morgue before someone realized he was still alive. He survived but lost one leg, while the other suffered permanent damage and chronic complications. Despite these injuries, he continued serving for another 37 years.

One of the deepest personal chapters of his life concerned his brother, Mohammad Saeed, who was martyred in 1983 in the Fakkeh region. For decades the family did not recover his remains. Mohaqeq personally searched the battlefields of northern Fakkeh, including the area known as Hill 143, but without success. The remains of his brother were finally discovered and identified in 2016, thirty-three years after his martyrdom. According to family accounts, their father had long believed he knew the circumstances of his son’s final moments through a dream that later matched eyewitness testimony.

At the time of his martyrdom on June 15, 2025, during the third day of the 12 Day War, Mohaqeq was serving as Deputy Head of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Although little known to the public, he was regarded as one of the organization’s veteran intelligence commanders. The article also credits him with selecting the name “True Promise” for the military operations launched against Israel beginning in April 2024, a title reportedly inspired by reflection upon the Qur’an. After more than four decades of service, he was martyred in an airstrike near Tehran while still serving in one of the country’s most sensitive security positions.

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❌ | Stop glorifying and making the government officials infallibles and celebrating them as heroes of all kinds. We are witnessing the accounts of Iranian embassies glorifying and heroifying Abbas Araghchi and his colleagues as heroes of all kinds. This has never happened and must not happen.

Araghchi is just a servant like many others, and he has no value in comparison to our martyrs. Embassies must return to their values instead of turning into propaganda and face-making accounts. These framings are all related to gathering publicity-based support so that, in case these officials turn against the revolution and its values, they would be able to create massive propaganda in their favor. The promotion and preaching must be related to the Leader of the Revolution and the martyrs only.

The turbans sitting day and night on videos and reels must return to their values before it is too late. We are analyzing you. Beware.

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