Mohammad Bagheri and other commanders, including Mohammad Ali Jafari, Ali Fadavi, and Gholam Ali Rashid, are members of a group identified by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) as the IRGC Command Network. According to AEI's Critical Threats Project, the group "dominates the upper echelons of Iran's military and controls planning, operations, intelligence, covert and irregular warfare operations, and internal security."[8] He was promoted from his previous position as deputy chief of staff for intelligence and operations in the General Staff[3] on June 28, 2016, replacing Hassan Firouzabadi.[9]
In February 2022, according to Reuters, Bagheri announced that Iran will continue advancing its ballistic missile programme, both "in terms of quantity and quality".[11]
On 21 October 2022, a White House press release stated that Iranian troops were in Crimea assisting Russia in launching drone attacks.[12] Bagheri was the commander overseeing the Iranian army branches supplying Russia with drones.[13]
On December 3 2023, Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Major General Mohammad Bagheri implied during meetings in Baghdad that Iran could become directly involved in this escalation with the United States to support the effort to expel US forces.[14]
On April 8, 2019, the United States designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization.[15] Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuofIsrael immediately thanked Trump on Twitter.[15] "We consider the U.S. troops in West Asia to be terrorists and if they do a damn thing, we will confront them vigorously" Mohammad Bagheri said.[16]
In September 2022, following harsh suppression of protesters during the Mahsa Amini protests, Mohammad Bagheri was sanctioned by the United States and Canada.
^Kenneth Katzman (6 February 2017), "Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies"(PDF), Congressional Research Service, Federation of American Scientists, p. 22, retrieved 1 March 2017
Iran
Order of Fath (3)
Order of Nasr
