Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Sep. 27 Irans Supreme Leader on Monday ordered half a dozen key changes at the highest echelons of Irans armed forces in what is seen by certain analysts as a bid to beef up Irans military command might. Iran Focus
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Tehran, Iran, Sep. 27 Irans Supreme Leader on Monday ordered half a dozen key changes at the highest echelons of Irans armed forces in what is seen by certain analysts as a bid to beef up Irans military command might.
Among the most notable changes was the appointment of Revolutionary Guards Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani as head of the armed forces Centre for Strategic Research.
Shamkhani was until mid-August Irans Defence Minister, a post that has no control over the armed forces, whose chain of command passes from senior military commanders to the Supreme Leader himself.
Iran Focus previously revealed that the Revolutionary Guards Read Admiral would be taking up a senior post in the regular armed forces.
Iran has had a dual system of armed forces since 1979, with the regular armed forces assigned to guard the countrys borders and the Revolutionary Guards taking care of internal security, often acting as a secret police and an intelligence agency.
In a separate decree, Khamenei also appointed Brigadier General Abdol-Ali Pourshasb as the inspector general of the armed forces.
Other changes included the placement of Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Qarai Ashtiani as the Deputy Commandant of the Army and Brigadier General Seyyed Abdol-Rahim Moussavi as the head of the Armys Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Qarai Ashtiani was previously the deputy chief of the armed forces logistical branch while Moussavi was head of planning of the Ground Forces.
Rear Admiral Sajjad Kouchaki Badlani was installed as the head of Irans Navy. Kouchaki Badlani was previously deputy head of planning and budget of Irans armed forces.
Brigadier General Mohammad-Hossein Dadress was upgraded to chief of the armys Ground Forces from his previous post as deputy chief.
The reshuffle follows a pattern of similar changes at the highest levels of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. According to well-informed sources inside the Iranian bureaucracy, Supreme Leader Khamenei has ordered these changes in preparation for a possible military showdown with the West.