Ataollah Salehi

Ataollah Salehi has been the Commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army since 2005. A career military man, he survived the purges accompanying Iran's transition from monarchy to Islamic Republic. After rising serving as an infantry officer, he became the commander of the Iranian army's main military academy before being chosen to command the country's ground forces, navy, and air force. He replaced Mohammad Salimi in this position a month after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became President of Iran.

Salehi has proven controversial, both within Iran and worldwide, criticizing the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian media for downplaying the role of the Iranian army during the Iran-Iraq War in favor of covering the Revolutionary Guards' contribution. He has also publicly doubted Israel's capacity to counter Iran's military ambitions, and in January 2012, he issued stern warnings to the United States amid naval exercises conducted in the Persian Gulf in late 2011 and early 2012.

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