Hossein Salami: Iran Guards Chief And A Key Figure In Its Nuclear Program

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes in Iran's capital Tehran, killing Major General Hossein Salami, the head of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The military offensive, codenamed Operation Rising Lion, involved dozens of Israeli jets striking multiple strategic targets, including nuclear facilities, military command centres, and other sensitive infrastructure.

One of the primary targets was the IRGC headquarters, where Salami was present at the time of the attack. Iranian media confirmed his death, calling it a "martyrdom" and blaming the Israeli regime for the assault.

Who Was Hossein Salami?

Born in 1960 in Golpayegan, Isfahan Province, Iran, Hossein Salami joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1980 just when the Iran-Iraq war broke out. He was promoted to the post of commander and was at the helm of the Karbala and 14th Imam Hussein divisions. Salami then led the naval Nouh headquarters.

After the conclusion of the Iran-Iraq War, he completed his master's from the staff college of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army in defence management. Salami served as head of operations at the IRGC Joint Staff from 1997 to 2005.

Salami was a key figure in Iran's nuclear program. He was sanctioned by the UN Security Council in December 2006 for his role in Iran's ballistic missile program. A year later, the US sanction-designated him. In 2021, the European Union sanctioned him alongside seven other Iranian officials for their response to the November 2019 demonstrations in the country.

Ten years after he started serving as the deputy commander of the IRGC, on April 21, 2019, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameini promoted Salami to the rank of major general and appointed him commander-in-chief of the IRGC.

Salami was always a vocal critic of the United States and Israel. When Israel struck Iranian targets in Syria back in 2019, Salami said that Iran's strategy was to wipe "the Zionist regime" off the political map.

In September 2023, French prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against Salami, IRGC Quds Force commander Ismail Ghaani, and Iranian Intelligence Minister Smail Khatib for issuing death threats and justifying terrorism against people supporting Iranian protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in Iranian custody on September 16, 2022, for violating Iran's female dress code.

Israel and Iran have come into direct confrontation since April 2024 after an Israeli airstrike targeted an Iranian consulate building in Damascus and killed seven IRGC commanders. Two weeks later, Iran, in its first-ever direct attack on Israel, sent over 300 drones and rockets - almost 99 per cent of them were shot down by Israel and its allies. At the time, Salami claimed the attack was the onset of a new paradigm in the region.