In a letter addressed to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei on Monday, Mohsen Rezaei, who serves as the Leader’s Representative and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said the appointments showed the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khamenei will firmly stick to the policies adopted in the country since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

“…(the) wise action in appointing six high-ranking commanders to the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)…disrupted the calculations of the enemies of Islamic Iran, especially the rulers of the United States and the Zionist regime,” Rezaei said in the letter.

The newly appointed SNSC chief described the decision to appoint the commanders as “timely and worthy,” saying that all six commanders appointed have illustrious records and experience ranging from the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s to the present day.

Rezaei, himself a former chief commander of the IRGC, congratulated the six commanders on their appointment and expressed hope they could reciprocate Ayatollah Khamenei's trust by “resolutely confronting any possible aggression” against Iran.

In decrees issued last week, Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Major General Ali Abdollahi as Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari as his deputy.

The Leader also appointed Major General Ahmad Vahidi as Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC and Major General Mostafa Izadi as his deputy.

Rear Admiral Ali Ozamaei was also appointed as Commander of the IRGC Navy, while Hossein Taeb, a high-ranking cleric with years of experience in the IRGC's intelligence branch, was appointed as Head of the IRGC's Basij force.

MNA