First VP: Government will fully back Armed Forces

TEHRAN, Aug. 11 (MNA) – Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref pledged full government support for the armed forces.

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref pledged full government support for the armed forces, saying the administration viewed such backing as an "inviolable priority," in a message congratulating newly appointed senior military commander.

In a message following the appointments by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Aref praised the commanders for their records in the Iran-Iraq war and their roles in the "third sacred defence" — the recent war with the United States and the Israeli regime.

The new appointees are Major General Ali Abdollahi as chief of staff of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari as his deputy, Major General Ahmad Vahidi as commander-in-chief of the IRGC, Major General Mostafa Izadi as his deputy, Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei as IRGC Navy commander, and Hojjatoleslam Hossein Taeb as head of the Basij.

Aref said the enemy had deployed "the most complex anti-human schemes" to harm Iran's authority and territorial integrity, but that the "brilliance, courage and powerful prudence" of Iranian commanders and the "wise and precise guidance" of the Leader had foiled those calculations.