Esmail Qaani
Esmail Qaani | |
|---|---|
Qaani in 2020 | |
| Born | 8 August 1957 Mashhad, Iran |
| Allegiance | Iran |
| Branch | IRGC |
| Service years | 1980–present |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | Quds Force |
| Conflicts | |
Esmail Qaani (also rendered as Ismail Qaani; Persian: اسماعیل قاآنی; born 8 August 1957) is an Iranian brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who serves as the commander of its Quds Force, an IRGC elite special operations force responsible for extraterritorial operations. He succeeded Qasem Soleimani who was assassinated in January 2020.
On 13 June 2025, The New York Times reported that he had been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Iran. However, a chart published by the Israel Defense Forces on 14 June 2025 listed Qaani as still alive.