On Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Zionist regime’s aggression on Tehran that led to the assassination of top-ranking military commanders, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, appointed Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi as the new commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division.
Mousavi will replace Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who served in that position for 16 years, from October 2025 until his martyrdom on Friday, June 13, 2025.
Mousavi is not new to this arena. Known as one of the key figures behind Iran’s missile deterrence program, he steps into the role at a critical moment, just as the Islamic Republic carried out Operation True Promise III, a retaliatory operation against the Zionist entity.
The appointment came with a clear message. In his official decree, Ayatollah Khamenei cited Mousavi’s “valuable qualifications and experiences,” and said his promotion followed the recommendation of the IRGC’s top command.
Leader called for the “enhancement of comprehensive capabilities,” as well as increasing the preparedness of missile and drone units under Mousavi’s leadership.
Ayatollah Khamenei also placed strong emphasis on values and morals. He urged the new commander to work on “strengthening the piety and insight of the IRGC’s Aerospace Division personnel, and having a spiritual foundation in moving towards building a force at the level of the Islamic Revolution.”
Mousavi’s name has often surfaced in connection with Iran’s strategic missile program, but until now, he remained largely behind the scenes.
Brigadier General Mousavi has long been a quiet but central figure in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s technological evolution. Known among insiders as one of the key architects of Iran’s advanced military deterrence systems, Mousavi brings decades of experience to his new role as commander of the IRGC Aerospace Division.
The new IRGC aerospace commander’s résumé speaks to years at the core of Iran’s missile and drone programs, playing a key role in advancing them under Hajizadeh’s leadership.
Most recently, he served as deputy commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force — a position that placed him directly in the planning and execution of the country’s ballistic missile development, unmanned aerial systems, and military space technologies.
Mousavi also worked closely with two of Iran’s most prominent military figures in this field: the late General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, widely considered the father of Iran’s missile program, and Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, whom he now succeeds.
Together, they helped establish and expand Iran’s network of missile bases deep within the country’s interior infrastructure that is now central to its deterrence doctrine.
His track record includes operational planning, strategic-level training, and infrastructure development across the aerospace sector.
He has also served on high-level defense technology councils and collaborated with the IRGC’s Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization on joint research and weapons projects.
In December 2024, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mousavi for playing a “direct role in developing the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone capabilities.”
The move was quickly dismissed by Iranian defense officials, who praised Mousavi as one of the “main architects of the country’s defensive deterrence.
