Reference News Network March 19 report: Qatar Al Jazeera website March 6 published an article titled "Who is Ahmad Vahidi, the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?" Excerpts follow:

The position held by Ahmad Vahidi is one of the most powerful and influential positions in Iran, as well as a post that has always been shadowed by death.

The frequent changes in the senior leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps highlight the significant risks associated with this top power position in Iran's military system. Now, Vahidi shoulders great responsibility: leading Iran's military forces into battle in a real war.

Vahidi's appointment as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps comes as no surprise. In December last year, the then Supreme Leader Khamenei appointed him as the deputy commander of the organization. Previously, he had served as the deputy commander of the Iranian Army.

As a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during its early days in the late 1970s, Vahidi gradually rose through the ranks in the 1980s, holding key positions in intelligence and military affairs. According to official Iranian media reports, he led the elite unit "Quds Force" from 1988 to 1997.

Later, he handed over command of the Quds Force to Soleimani. Soleimani took over in 1998 but was killed in 2020.

Vahidi publicly pledged to uphold the principles and goals of the Islamic Revolution.

When circumstances align with Tehran's strategic objectives, he shows a pragmatic attitude.

According to reports, in the mid-1980s, Vahidi participated in secret contacts between Iranian representatives and intermediaries close to the Reagan administration in the United States. These contacts were related to the better-known "Iran-Contra affair," in which U.S. officials secretly facilitated the shipment of weapons to Iran.

Ali Farnaei, an expert on Iran at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Al Jazeera that through his participation in these negotiations, Vahidi has a thorough understanding of Israel and the United States.

Unlike his predecessors, Vahidi is not just a military figure. He has also held high-level political positions: he served as Minister of Defense during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and as Minister of Interior under the late President Ebrahim Raisi, and left office in 2024.

Farnaei told Al Jazeera that Vahidi is a "capable bureaucrat," whose background makes him "a key wartime leader and an ideal commander."

Analysts point out that Vahidi's extensive experience in Iran's government and security institutions has given him broad influence within the country. At a time when many senior leaders and seasoned military figures have died, this advantage is particularly important.

Farnaei told Al Jazeera that former Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Ali Jafari had intended to decentralize power within the Guard Corps to ensure that "the organization could survive even if it suffered a 'decapitation' strike or if Tehran fell."

He added, "Vahidi has the advantage of being able to coordinate the operation of this decentralized system with the assistance of core commanders and senior generals of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. These people together form an informal collective leadership core within the organization." (Translated by Wu Mei)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7618863274226680347/

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