Gholamreza Soleimani, the long-time commander of Iran's Basij paramilitary force, was killed in a reported US-Israeli strike on Tuesday, March 17. Alongside him, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was also killed.
“Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation programme, along with all those eliminated from the Axis of Evil in the depths of hell,” Defence Minister Israel Katz was quoted as saying by BBC.
Who Was Gholamreza Soleimani?
According to a report in Al Jazeera, Soleimani had led Iran's most powerful internal security forces for the past six years and was a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War. Born in 1964 in Farsan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Soleimani began his military career as a teenage volunteer on the Shush front lines during the Iran-Iraq War.
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He had participated in major operations such as Tariq al-Qods, Fath ol-Mobin and Beit ol-Moqaddas during the eight-year conflict between the two countries. He served both as a frontline fighter and later as a battalion commander.
Soleimani officially joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 1982 and steadily rose through the ranks. In 2006, he took charge of the Saheb al-Zaman Corps and became the first commander to manage both the local Basij volunteer forces and the regular IRGC combat units. Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force under IRGC which is responsible for enforcing internal security across the country.
This dual command made him a central figure in Iran's internal security system. In 2017, he was officially promoted to brigadier general.
Leadership Of The Basij
As per the report, Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei appointed Soleimani as the head of the Basij in 2019. The official mandate was to “elevate the Basij and the culture of resistance,” expand armed groups and strengthen revolutionary values among young Iranians.
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During his tenure, the Basij were often deployed to suppress protests. They played a major role in the violent crackdown on nationwide antigovernment demonstrations in 2019 and the 2022–2023 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. In January this year, thousands of Iranians were reportedly killed during demonstrations controlled by the force under Soleimani's command.
Soleimani reportedly held a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Isfahan and was preparing a doctoral thesis on the Islamic history of Iran.
Sanctions On Gholamreza Soleimani
Soleimani was sanctioned by multiple Western countries which included US, European Union, UK and Canada. The EU in 2021 imposed sanction on him as the Basij forces under his command used lethal violence against unarmed protesters.
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