Mohammad Pakpour (Persian: محمد پاکپور;‎ 2 June 1961 – 28 February 2026) was an Iranian military officer who served as the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 2025 until his death in 2026. He had previously served as head of IRGC Ground Forces. On 13 June 2025, he was appointed head of the IRGC following the death of his predecessor, Hossein Salami, in the Twelve-Day War. Pakpour was succeeded as commander of the Ground Forces by Mohammad Karami. On 28 February 2026, the Israel Defense Forces announced that he had been killed in the 2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran. == Military career == Pakpour joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. He served during the 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran and the eight-year-long Iran–Iraq War. His responsibilities included five years of Army Operations Command, commander of the 8th Najaf Division, commander of 31st Ashura Division of Command chief Army's Northern Command headquarters. Among his duties were fighting terrorism in northwest Iran, establishing security in southeast Iran, and overseeing specialized exercises. According to Pakpour, the IRGC seeks to promote the security of the region through new military tactics. He believed that drones like Hemaseh help to keep the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on their toes and shows the consistency and preparedness of the force. Commandos of the Saberin Unit special forces, under Pakpour's direct command, were responsible for neutralizing ISIS terrorists during the 2017 Tehran attacks. == Sanctions == On 24 June 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him, freezing any of his U.S. assets and banning U.S. persons from doing business with him. He was also sanctioned by the European Union, Australia, Japan, and Canada for his involvement with the IRGC and its wider operations. Although these sanctions were temporarily lifted following the 2015 nuclear agreement, they were reinstated after the United States withdrew from the deal. == Death == On 28 February 2026, the Israel Defense Forces announced that Pakpour had been killed in the 2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran. This was later confirmed by Iranian state media IRNA. == References == == External links == Media related to Mohammad Pakpour at Wikimedia Commons