The elusive leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has made a rare public appearance after months away from the spotlight. The general appeared during a significant mourning event alongside the coffin of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader who was assassinated.
General Ahmad Vahidi, a controversial figure under U.S. sanctions and suspected of international terrorist connections, was photographed on Thursday with his hands resting on Khamenei’s casket. This solemn image surfaced as Tehran braced for the beginning of a lengthy funeral observance for the deceased leader, illustrated by photos circulated by Iranian state-run media.
Vahidi’s appearance marked his break from obscurity as he attended a meeting about the funeral arrangements, followed by a smaller, intimate service. This comes ahead of Iran’s scheduled 40-day period of national mourning, set to commence on Saturday.
His absence from public view dates back to February 8, weeks before the tragic events of February 28, which claimed the lives of Khamenei and several other high-ranking IRGC officials, including Vahidi’s predecessor, Mohammad Pakpour, at the onset of Operation Epic Fury.
Notably, Vahidi remains a critical figure behind the scenes, shaping the Islamic Republic’s stringent strategy in response to the ongoing four-month-long conflict. Despite being listed as wanted by Interpol over accusations tied to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, his influence persists in the corridors of power.
In May, he claimed Iran had emerged victorious following the “terrorist attack of the Zionist-American enemy” and said Washington had turned to a cease-fire “in humiliation,” according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
“Any renewed aggression by the enemy will be met with a devastating and hellish response on regional and trans-regional scales,” he threatened.
Vahidi, who succeeded Pakpour as head of the IRGC, is said to be part of a small clique influencing the severely injured Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
“He is influential but [he is] part of a system,” Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, told CNN.
“Decisions are made in a consensual manner and undoubtedly Vahidi has a very loud voice in the room.”
“You cannot agree on something without passing him,” Danny Citrinowicz, the ex-head of the Iran branch of Israel’s military intelligence, told CNN.
Vahidi, 67, joined the IRGC after the 1979 Revolution before becoming commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force in the late 1980s, building up Iran’s influence across the Middle East before handing the reins to terror mastermind Qasem Soleimani.
He and Soleimani have often been credited with laying the groundwork for Iran’s terror proxies to bloom abroad, including the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.
Vahidi was among nine top Hezbollah and Iranian officials accused of helping orchestrate the bombing of the Jewish community center – that killed 85 people and injured over 300.
It marked the deadliest antisemitic attack in the Western Hemisphere since World War 2.
Interpol issued a red notice against Vahidi, urging law enforcement entities around the world to find and arrest him, making the IRGC commander an internationally wanted terrorist.
Along with the infamous 1994 bombing, Argentine investigators have linked Vahidi to the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires.
US investigators also suspect Vahidi helped organize the 1996 Khobar Tower bombing in Saudi Arabia, which saw 19 service members killed.
Vahidi was also hit by sanctions in the US for his links to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
He faced a second wave of sanctions in 2022 after Iran’s brutal crackdown on protesters over the death of Mahsa Amini.
The European Union also hit Vahidi with sanctions in 2022 for the regime’s use of live ammunition in the protests, which left nearly 500 people dead, according to human rights groups.
“He is a wanted man,” Citrinowicz said. “He’s a guy to be reckoned with.”
With Post wires.