Iran fills senior military posts left vacant after Israeli-US strikes

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday issued decrees appointing six military and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials to leadership positions after the preceding holders were killed in Israeli-US strikes during operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury.Ali Abdollahi was appointed as chief of staff of Iran's Armed Forces, with Kioumars Heydari named as his deputy.Additionally, Ahmad Vahidi was named as head of the IRGC, with Mostafa Izadi named as his deputy.Further, Ali Ozmaei was named as head of the IRGC Navy, and Hossein Taeb was named as commander of the IRGC's Basij paramilitary.Notably, Vahidi and Ozmaei had already been operating as respective IRGC and IRGC Navy heads, but without any official published appointment from the Supreme Leader's Office.Khamenei appoints two foundational IRGC leaders to senior political positionsThese appointments follow Sunday's statement attributed to Khamenei naming two figures who played key roles in the formation of the IRGC to senior political positions.Mohsen Rezaee, who commanded the IRGC from 1981 until 1997, was appointed as Khamenei's representative on the Supreme National Security Council.Additionally, Mohammed Bagher Zolghadr, who held several senior positions across the IRGC since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, including being deputy chief from 1997 until 2006, was appointed as Khamenei's political advisor.