Who Is Ahmad Vahidi? The Powerful IRGC Commander Re-emerging at Khamenei's Funeral

As the grand six-day funeral procession for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei,, 86,  begins on Thursday, Iran has welcomed a host of foreign dignitaries, with more than 30 countries requesting to participate in the ceremonies.

The funeral procession will travel from Iran into Iraq before Khamenei is finally laid to rest at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad.

Also present at the funeral proceedings was one of Iran's most influential figures, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, who is believed to have remained out of the public eye since February 8. Images published by ISNA News Agency showed Vahidi attending a meeting of the headquarters overseeing the funeral arrangements, as well as  later seen sitting beside Khamenei's casket as Iran's theocracy held a smaller service on Thursday night.

Vahidi holds one of the country's most challenging and influential positions. Several of his predecessors were assassinated by the United States, underscoring the significance and risks associated with the role.

Vahidi is believed to be part of a small inner circle in direct contact with Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the Feb. 28 Israeli strikes that killed his father, the elder Khamenei. The attack also reportedly killed the elder Khamenei's daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and the wife of the new Supreme Leader.

He has become one of the principal architects of Iran's hardline approach to negotiations over a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, AP reported. 

He took charge of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the time of war with US-Israel, which killed many of the country’s senior military leadership, succeeding Mohammad Pakpour, the IRGC's commander-in-chief, who was killed in the joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28. He had led the elite force for less than nine months, having been appointed after his predecessor, Hossein Salami, was killed in Israeli attacks during the 12-day war in June 2025. 

Vahidi was appointed deputy commander of the IRGC in December by the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, after serving as deputy commander of Iran's army. At the appointment ceremony, he praised the Revolutionary Guard's role in recent conflicts, saying, "Today, the IRGC shines at its peak as always. We saw in recent conflicts how our young people shone. This is one of the honors of the IRGC that it has a group of these elite and skilled young people who have their hearts in God and will undoubtedly be victorious," Press TV reported.

A member of the IRGC since the late 1970s, Vahidi has risen through its ranks, holding several senior command and intelligence positions.

He has also been an outspoken advocate of Iran's hardline stance against the United States. In January, after US President Donald Trump said the US was "locked and loaded" to attack Iran, Vahidi declared that Tehran did not fear its adversaries. 

He said Washington was on a "downward slope of decline" and had lost the tools it once used to dominate the world, forcing it to pursue its goals "through force, war, terror, and theft," according to Press TV.

Unlike his two predecessors, Vahidi is not solely a military figure, Al Jazeera reported. Alongside his career in the IRGC, he has held senior political posts, serving as defence minister under former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and later as interior minister under the late President Ebrahim Raisi until 2024.

His career, however, has been dogged by international allegations. Interpol issued a red notice for Vahidi at Argentina's request over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. Iran has denied any involvement in the attack and dismissed the notice as "baseless".

Vahidi has also been sanctioned by the US and the European Union over Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the country's mandatory hijab rules.

However, now, in the times of war and negotiations, Vahidi remains one of the key figures in the country, heading one of its most pristine bodies. “Guarding the Islamic Revolution is one of the greatest virtues in the world, and the greatest evil that has been committed is opposing the Islamic system,” he said.