The Fath Medal () is a

military award Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations awarded ...

of the

Iranian armed forces The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Artesh''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepah'') and the Polic ...

which is awarded by the commander-in-chief, the

Supreme Leader of Iran The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...

History and description

First awarded on 27 September 1989, the medal shows three

Palm leaves The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially c ...

over

Khorramshahr Khorramshahr (; ) is a city in the Central District of Khorramshahr County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is also known in Arabic by the local ethnically Arab population as Al-Muhamma ...

's grand

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

(as a symbol of resistance), the

flag of Iran The national flag of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran, also known as the ''Tricolour Flag of Iran'' (), is a tricolour (flag), tricolour featuring the Pan-Iranian colors comprising equal horizontal bands of green, white and red with the embl ...

, and the word "Fath". It is a military award of the

and is awarded by the commander-in-chief, the Supreme Leader of Iran. , the medal was awarded in three grades. Senior commanders are typically awarded a first class medal,

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

s and

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

s usually receive a second class award, while third class awards are granted to those ranked at or below lieutenant colonel.

Recipients

First recipients (1989)

The first Order of Fath medals were conferred on 27 September 1989, after the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

, with three recipients of the award at First Class level. *The first recipient of the Order of Fath was

Mohammad Hossein Fahmideh Mohammad Hossein Fahmideh (; – ) was an Iranian child soldier and an icon of the Iran–Iraq War. During the First Battle of Khorramshahr in 1980, he served with the Basij and fought invading Iraqi forces in and around the city of Khorramsh ...

. Fahmideh's award was posthumous, as he was killed in November 1980 when, as a 13-year-old boy, he was fighting in the Iran–Iraq War. He disabled an Iraqi tank by jumping under it while wearing a belt of grenades from which he had removed the pins. In so doing, Fahmideh halted the advance of a line of tanks. Khomeini declared Fahmideh a national hero, stating that the "value of ahmideh'slittle heart is greater than could be described by hundreds of tongues and hundreds of pens" and also calling him "our guide" who "threw himself under the enemy's tank with a grenade and destroyed it, thus drinking the elixir of matyrdom." Khomeini's government went on to provide a knapsack to every school child in Iran that showed "Fahmideh's heroic sacrifice under the tank and the grenades he used to blow himself up," and to include Fahmideh's story alongside that of other "

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

s" in textbooks intended to improve childhood literacy. *

Mohsen Rezaei Mohsen Rezaee Mirgha'ed (, born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed (); born 1 September 1954) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician affiliated with the Resistance Front of Islamic Iran and senior military officer in the Islamic Revo ...

, commander of

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

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, commander of

Islamic Republic of Iran Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...

Alongside them, 21 people received 2nd class medal and 29 people received the 3rd class medal.

1990

On 4 February 1990, a total of 210 men received the medal. The recipients included:

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

* Abbas Babaei (

KIA Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second larges ...

, 2nd grade) *

Jalil Zandi Jalil Zandi (; 1951–2001) was a fighter pilot in the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) who served during all of the Iran–Iraq War. His combat record qualifies him as one of the most successful pilots of that conflict in air-to-air c ...

(2nd grade) *

Mansour Sattari Mansour Sattari (; also Romanization, Romanized as Mansoor Sattari; 19 May 1948 – 5 January 1995) was an Iranian Air Force Brigadier general. After serving his compulsory military service in the Army Artillery branch, he joined the Iranian ...

(2nd grade) * Mohammad Daneshpour (2nd Grade) * Massoud Monfared Niyaki (

, 2nd grade) * Mostafa Ardestani (

, 2nd grade)

Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution

Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat (, April 2, 1955 – March 7, 1984) was an Iranian military leader and teacher. He was one of the highest ranking officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran–Iraq War, Iran-Iraq War. In 1982, he spen ...

(

, 2nd grade) * Mehdi Bakeri (

, 2nd grade) *

Hossein Kharrazi Hossein Kharrazi () (23 August 1957 – 27 February 1987) was an Iranian military officer who served as the commander of the IRGC's 14th Imam Hussein Division during the Iran–Iraq War. He supported the Iranian Revolution and after its victory, ...

(

, 2nd grade) *

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(2nd grade) *

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(3rd grade) *

Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...

(3rd grade) * Ahmad Kazemi (3rd grade)

Both

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(2nd grade)

2014

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, Commander of the

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2016

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, commander of

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, 1st grade

2018

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, former commander of the

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2021

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, commander of the

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2024

Abdolrahim Mousavi ''Seyyed'' Abdolrahim Mousavi (}; born 1960) is an Iranian military officer. As of June 2025, he is the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the killing of his predecessor. He formerly served as t ...

, Commander-in-Chief of the

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, Commander-in-Chief of the

Amir Ali Hajizadeh Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh (; 28 February 1962 – 13 June 2025) was an Iranian military officer who served as the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces, a position he held from October 2009 until his assassination in June 2025 by ...

, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Forces

Unknown date

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani (25 August 19348 January 2017) was an Iranian cleric, politician and writer who served as the fourth president of Iran from 1989 to 1997. One of the founding fathers of the Government of Iran, Islamic Republic, ...

(1st grade) *

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...

(2nd grade)

References

External links

{{Highest gallantry awards Military awards and decorations of Iran Awards established in 1989 Islamic awards