Hossein Salami


Hossein Salami
Salami in 2019
Native name
حسین سلامی
Born1960 (1960)
Golpayegan, Imperial State of Iran
Died13 June 2025(2025-06-13) (aged 64–65)
Tehran, Iran
Cause of deathAssassination by airstrike
Allegiance Iran
Branch IRGC
Years of service1980–2025
RankMajor general
Commands
ConflictsIran–Iraq War
Iranian intervention in Iraq
Iran–Israel war 
Awards Order of Fath (1st class)

Hossein Salami (Persian: حسین سلامی; 1960 – 13 June 2025) was an Iranian military officer who served as the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 2019 until 2025 when he was killed by an Israeli airstrike during the Iran–Israel war.

Salami joined the IRGC during the Iran–Iraq War in 1980, when he was a college student. He rose through the ranks, becoming deputy commander. On 21 April 2019, the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, appointed him as the new Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, replacing major general Mohammad Ali Jafari. Salami stood out among the commanders of the IRGC for his fiery and aggressive speeches targeting the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.