Three sources confirmed to 'Reuters' on Saturday the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour and Iranian Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh in Israeli attacks described as a comprehensive opening strike. The strikes purportedly targeted military centers and leaders inside Iran.

Mohammad Pakpour assumed the role of general commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on June 13, 2025, following Israeli strikes on Tehran which killed former commander Hossein Salami.

Appointed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a unilateral decision, Pakpour was one of the most prominent commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an officer belonging to the generation of the Iranian Revolution, who subsequently fought in Iraq, and then gradually rose to the top of the military establishment.

Mohammad Pakpour, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander

Major General Mohammad Pakpour, born in 1961 in Arak, combined academic training in political geography with a long field career within the Revolutionary Guard, before his death was announced in the latest Israeli strikes targeting high-ranking Iranian military leaders.

Pakpour joined the Revolutionary Guard in 1979, immediately following the revolution, and participated in military operations in Kurdistan, then in the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988), where he rose through field leadership positions.

He led several units including the 'Eighth Najaf Division' and 'Ashura 31st Division' and held operational roles within the ground command, establishing his image as a combat-experienced leader.

In 2009, he was appointed as the commander of the ground forces in the Revolutionary Guard, a position he held for many years, overseeing the reorganization of ground units and enhancing special operations capabilities, notably the 'Saberin Unit'. His name was linked to 'counter-terrorism' files in northwest Iran and securing the southeastern regions, as he was awarded the Medal of Victory in recognition of his military service.

In June 2025, following the death of his predecessor Hossein Salami in Israeli raids, he became one of the key military decision-makers in Iran and a crucial figure in the regional deterrence equation.

He had been listed on American and European sanctions lists for years due to his role in the Revolutionary Guard. With the announcement of his death, the chapter closes on a military leader who rose from the war zones of the 1980s to the pinnacle of the Iranian security hierarchy.