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Iran bids farewell to former Army commander

Tuesday, 02 February 2016 9:33 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 02 February 2016 11:58 AM ]

Former Commander of the Islamic Republic’s Army Major General Mohammad Salimi

Senior military and government officials have joined a funeral ceremony held in Tehran for the former chief commander of the Iranian Army Major General Mohammad Salimi.

The ceremony took place at the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces in Tehran on Tuesday, attended by representatives of the Leader and the government as well as Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani.

Army chief commander Major General Ataollah Salehi and chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari were also in attendance.

General Salami passed away on Saturday at the age of 78 after years of illness.

The Leader's representative described the passing as a “great loss” for the country’s Armed Forces, saying the deceased was “constantly on the side of the Eminent Leader” during his long years of serving the country.

On Sunday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei referred to the deceased as “my longstanding friend and colleague in military activities.”

“This faithful and committed military official was among the few companions in the Army, who, from the first weeks of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, served as an active link between the Army and the establishment and was a potent element in integrating the committed army into the revolution,” the Leader said in a message of condolence.

Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the late general's "absence would be certainly felt in the future.”

Salimi was appointed defense minister in 1981, when the country was a year into Iraq’s imposed war on Iran, and remained in the position for three years. He ascended to the position of the chief of the Army in May 2000 and kept the tenure for five years before being named as the Leader’s military adviser.

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