Iranian commander Hossein Salami was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran.

By Aniket Chakraborty June 16, 2025 Arrow

Operation Rising Lion struck IRGC HQ, nuclear sites, and key military hubs.

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Salami, born in 1960, joined the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War in 1980.

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He rose to lead divisions like Karbala and 14th Imam Hussein, shaping Iran’s military doctrine.

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In 2006, the UN sanctioned him for Iran’s ballistic missile program.

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In 2019, he became commander-in-chief of the IRGC under Khamenei’s order.

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Salami often threatened Israel and the US, vowing to erase the “Zionist regime.”

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He was charged in France in 2023 over Mahsa Amini protest crackdowns.

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His death follows a year of escalated Iran-Israel clashes after the Damascus consulate attack.

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Iran now mourns a top general whose role in the nuclear program redefined Middle East power plays.

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