Mohammad Reza Fallahzadeh () is an Iranian senior military officer and politician who is deputy commander of

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

of the

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 ...

(IRGC) since April 2021. Fallahzadeh served as the IRGC Quds Force's deputy for coordination affairs before taking the new job. He served as governor of the Yazd Province from 2007 to 2013 during presidency of

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

Early life and military career

Fallahzadeh was born in 1962 or 1963 in

Abarkuh Abarkuh () is a city in the Central District of Abarkuh County, Yazd province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Etymology A folk etymology of the name Abarquh, related by Hamdallah Mustawfi in 1340, is from '' ...

, in Yazd Province, Iran. His family has a military history as one brother was killed in 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 ...

in 1987 and the another still serves in the Quds Force. He himself joined the IRGC in 1980, around the onset of the Iran–Iraq War, although reports suggest he saw limited combat during the conflict.

Roles in IRGC

While serving in the IRGC he rose through the ranks commanding multiple IRGC provincial divisions, the 33rd al‑Mahdi and 19th Fajr, later leading the IRGC units in Yazd,

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

, and Fars. Hre then served from 2007 to 2013, as Governor of Yazd Province under President

Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian principlist and nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a member of the Expediency Discernment Council. ...

. His tenure drew criticism for replacing civil officials with IRGC personnel and focusing on political advancement.

Economic & military projects

After 2013, he headed Karbala Roads & Development, an IRGC linked construction outfit tied to Khatam al-Anbia, before being redeployed to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. While in Syria he was promoted to become the Quds Force’s second-in-command, notably active in the Battle of Aleppo.

Deputy commander of Quds Force

In April 2021, following the death of his predecessor

Mohammad Hejazi Mohammad Hossein-Zadeh Hejazi (, 20 January 1956 – 18 April 2021) was an Iranian military commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Early life and education Hejazi was born in Isfahan in 1956. He attended the University of Tehran. ...

, Fallahzadeh was appointed Deputy Commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC’s elite overseas operations branch.

Recent developments

Since late 2023, he has been repeatedly linked by Israeli media as the target of airstrikes in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. Iranian sources have consistently denied his death, and as of now he is officially still alive. On October 2024, reports suggest he was appointed as a temporary supervisor of

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

’s leadership, indicating Iran's deepening involvement in Lebanon via trusted Quds Force operators.

Sanctions

U.S. Sanction

Office of Foreign Assets Control The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Treasury, United States Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade economic sanctions, ...

(OFAC) designated him as a

Specially Designated National The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, a ...

(SDN) under these programs: IFSR, IRGC, and SDGT, linking him to the IRGC‐Qods Force. The sanctions were issued under

Executive Order 13224 Executive Order 13224 is an executive order issued by U.S. president George W. Bush on September 23, 2001, as a response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. It has been renewed every year since. History In general terms, the Order provides ...

, with risks of secondary sanctions under EO 13886. The U.S. Treasury highlighted his role in managing multi‑billion dollar IRGC‑Qods operations abroad, overseeing Syria,

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, and Lebanon proxies. OFAC’s public announcement is dated February 27, 2024.

UK Sanctions

The

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

imposed sanctions under the Iran (Sanctions) Regulations 2023 around the same time. Fallahzadeh was listed for his involvement in “hostile activity by an armed group backed by the Government of Iran,” including threats to other nations’ security. The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office noted these designations on February 27, 2024, applying travel bans and asset freezes.

References

Iranian governors Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Iran–Iraq War Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps brigadier generals Iranian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions People from Yazd province 1962 births Living people Governors of Yazd province {{Iran-mil-bio-stub