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Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari

Non-IRGC Profile: Senior Artesh officer, not IRGC. More pragmatic and less ideologically rigid than Revolutionary Guard commanders.
Joint Command Experience: Former Navy Commander (2007-2017) and Chief of Joint Staff. Briefly served as Acting Armed Forces Chief of Staff in 2025 after major leadership losses.
Combat Veteran: Iran-Iraq War marine commando with real combat experience and wounds. Commands genuine respect across ranks.
Institutional Memory: Pre-revolution Imperial Navy officer (commissioned 1974). Bridges old professional traditions and current structure.
Naval Domain Expert: Deep expertise in Strait of Hormuz operations, asymmetric tactics, mines, and Gulf contingencies.
IRGC Rivalry: Has publicly criticized the IRGC's overreach and political involvement, exposing exploitable tensions between the regular army and the Pasdaran.
High-Level Access: Participates in Supreme National Security Council decisions and national military strategy.
Stabilizer Role: Repeatedly selected for top posts in crisis. Key figure for command continuity in a degraded leadership environment.
Professional Visibility: Lower-profile, disciplined image facilitates intelligence collection and potential engagement.

Other Merits

Pre-revolution officer: Commissioned in 1974 in the Imperial Iranian Navy. During this time, he had exposure to American Navy Advisors and Trainers.
Commanded the 1st Marine Brigade.
Rose to full Commander of the Iranian Navy (IRIN) for 10+ years (2007–2017).
Extensive experience in amphibious warfare, coastal defence, and asymmetric naval tactics.
Wounded multiple times in combat → respected veteran status.