IRGC Commander Following Soleimani’s Blueprint Two Years After His Death

(New York, N.Y.) — Nearly two years have passed since the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Major General Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. As part of his lifelong mission to spread Iran’s revolutionary Islamist ideology and drive American influence out of the region, Soleimani played a leading role in directing attacks against U.S. and allied military personnel in the Middle East. His successor, Esmail Qaani, has sought to carry on Soleimani’s legacy, ensuring that the U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) continues to carry out intelligence operations, terrorist plots, and unconventional warfare outside of Iran. 

In the last year alone, Qaani has led the IRGC effort to advance Iran’s missile and drone program, which are routinely used against the U.S. and its allies. These weapons and technologies were on display in a strike against an American military base in southern Syria and in the attack on the Mercer Street vessel last summer, which killed two Europeans. 

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) maintains a profile, Major General Qassem Soleimani: Former IRGC-Quds Force Commander, that chronicles Soleimani’s life, outlines his role in exporting the ideologies of the Islamic Republic, and comprehensively details his leadership of the IRGC’s Quds Force. In its profile Brigadier General Esmail Qaani: Commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, UANI details his rise as Soleimani’s successor and the full extent of the malign behaviors he is responsible for overseeing. Qaani has faced an uphill battle maintaining command and control over the array of Iran backed proxy militias and terrorist groups that comprise Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance.” The forces stood up, trained, and equipped by Soleimani to project Iranian influence remain a potent threat to regional stability even after his departure from the scene.

To read UANI’s profile, Major General Qassem Soleimani: Former IRGC-Quds Force Commander, please click here.

To read UANI’s profile, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani: Commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, please click here.

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