It was created after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force into a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran’s allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq, per the Times of Israel. Supreme Leader Khamenei entrusted Shamkhani and appointed him as commander of the Artesh Navy in 1989, where he helped rebuild Iran's naval capabilities post-Iran-Iraq War, according to the group United Against Nuclear Iran. Shamkhani’s rhetoric at the time echoed the Islamic Republic’s traditional messaging over the Persian Gulf, rejecting the presence of foreign warships and declaring "the capability to install missile sites" from the north to the south of the Gulf, according to a United Against Nuclear Iran profile of him.
Author: Ashley DiMella
Published at: 2025-06-14 22:49:09
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