Mohammad Pakpour (Iranian military officer) Age, Death, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mohammad Pakpour

• Mohammad Pakpour was born in Iran and later became a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

• He joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and began his military service.

• He took part in operations during the 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran in the early years of his career. During the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War, he served in different combat and command roles.

• He commanded the 8th Najaf Division and later led the 31st Ashura Division during his service. He also headed the Army’s Northern Command headquarters for a period of time.

• For five years, he held responsibilities in the Army Operations Command within the IRGC structure. He was involved in operations in northwest Iran and security missions in southeast Iran.

• In 2010, he was appointed commander of the IRGC Ground Forces. As Ground Forces commander, he supervised specialised military exercises and modernisation programs.

• He promoted the use of military technologies, including the Hemaseh drone, to improve operational readiness. Under his command, the Saberin Unit special forces conducted operations during the 2017 Tehran attacks.
  

  Mohammad Pakpour during a program

• In 2019, the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him and froze any assets under U.S. jurisdiction.

• He was also sanctioned by the European Union, Australia, Japan, and Canada for his IRGC involvement. These sanctions were briefly lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement but were reimposed after the U.S. withdrawal.

• Following the death of Hossein Salami during the Twelve-Day War in June 2025, he was appointed IRGC commander.
  

  Mohammad Pakpour during a meeting

• On 13 June 2025, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially named him head of the IRGC. After his promotion, Mohammad Karami replaced him as commander of the IRGC Ground Forces.

• In late December 2025, nationwide protests began in Iran due to economic and political issues. In January 2026, he warned the United States and Israel to avoid miscalculations in public statements.

• He stated that the IRGC was prepared to follow orders from the Supreme Leader. In January 2026, Iranian authorities reported 3,117 deaths related to the protests.
  

  Mohammad Pakpour during a meeting with IRGC forces

• Human rights groups later reported higher death figures and thousands of arrests during the unrest.

• On 28 February 2026, the Israel Defence Forces announced that he was killed in joint Israeli–United States strikes on Iran.

• He died in 2026 while serving as commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.