Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani

Amir Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani
محّمدرضا قرایی آشتیانی
Ashtiani in 2024
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces
In office 21 August 2024 – 10 August 2026
President	Masoud Pezeshkian
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei Mojtaba Khamenei
Preceded by	Aziz Nasirzadeh
Succeeded by	Kioumars Heydari
In office 2 July 2019 – 19 September 2021
President	Hassan Rouhani Ebrahim Raisi
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Ataollah Salehi
Succeeded by	Aziz Nasirzadeh
Minister of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics
In office 25 August 2021 – 21 August 2024
President	Ebrahim Raisi Mohammad Mokhber (acting) Masoud Pezeshkian
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Amir Hatami
Succeeded by	Aziz Nasirzadeh
Deputy Chief for Inspection for the General Staff
In office 2013–2019
President	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Hassan Rouhani
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Abdolali Pourshasb
Succeeded by	?
Deputy Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army
In office 26 September 2005 – 25 August 2008
President	Mohammad Khatami Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Habib Baghaei
Succeeded by	Abdolrahim Mousavi
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Deputy for Readiness, Logistics and Industrial Research of the General Staff
In office 2000–2005
President	Mohammad Khatami Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	?
Succeeded by	?
Second-in-Command of the Ground Force
In office 1999–2000
President	Mohammad Khatami
Supreme Leader	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Abolghasem Sharaf-al-Ziad
Succeeded by	Mohammad-Hossein Dadras
Personal details
Born	c. 1960 (age 65–66) Tehran, Pahlavi Iran
Education	Imam Ali Officers' Academy AJA University of Command and Staff Supreme National Defense University
Military service
Allegiance	Iran
Branch/service	Ground Forces
Years of service	1979–present
Rank	Brigadier General
Unit	23rd Takavar Division Imam Ali Officers' Academy
Battles/wars	1979 Kurdish Rebellion Iran–Iraq War Insurgency in Sistan and Balochistan Syrian civil war Iranian intervention in Syria War in Iraq (2013–2017) Iranian intervention in Iraq Iran–PJAK conflict Western Iran clashes 2024 Iran–Israel conflict Twelve-Day War 2026 Iran war

Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani (Persian: محّمدرضا قرایی آشتیانی; born 1960) is an Iranian military officer who served as the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces from 2024 to 2026. A position he previously held from 2019 to 2021. Gharaei Ashtiani was the minister of defence and armed forces logistics from 2021 to 2024, under the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi.

Due to his connections to the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of Russia and Iranian defense industry, Ashtiani was sanctioned by the United States Department of Treasury.

Early life

Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani was born in 1960 in Tehran.

Military career

He entered the officers' academy in 1979 and completed his bachelor's degree studies in 1982. After completing his introductory course at the Shiraz Infantry Center, he underwent specialized training in the 23rd Commando Division and began his official military service in the 172nd Battalion of the 2nd Brigade within the 23rd Takavar Division. In 1984, by order of Ali Sayad Shirazi, the then-commander of the Army Ground Forces, he was assigned to train officer cadets at the Imam Ali Officers' Academy.

Gharaei advanced through various command ranks during the Iran–Iraq War. Following the end of the war, Ashtiani earned a Master's degree in Military Affairs from the Army Command and Staff University and subsequently received a Doctorate in Defense Management from the Supreme National Defense University. In 1999, he was appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Army Ground Forces, and a year later, he became the Deputy Chief of Army Logistics, Support, and Industrial Research, serving in this role until 2005. Between 2005 and 2008, he served as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

In 2008, he was transferred to the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Until 2013, he initially headed the Strategic Management and Human Resources Group of the General Staff, and later served as the Deputy Chief of Planning and Programs for the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. From 2013 to 2019, Gharaei Ashtiani held the position of Deputy Chief of Inspection for the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

Ashtiani was promoted to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran (Artesh) on 2 July 2019, following a decree by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Ashtiani replaced Major General Ataollah Salehi. He was selected to be the Minister of Defense by President Ebrahim Raisi and then was approved for the position and took office on 25 August 2021.

Defense Minister

Ashtiani with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, 20 September 2023

Ashtiani’s selection for the position was favored by outgoing minister Amir Hatami who called Ashtiani the “best candidate” for position. Ashtiani said that he would prioritize exporting various defense products to other countries around the world. He was reappointed as deputy chief of staff a week later

International sanctions

On May 31, 2024, Ashtiani was placed on an EU sanctions list by the EU Council. He is accused of facilitating and providing material support to Russia's war against Ukraine by supplying Iranian weaponry, namely unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to Russia's Armed Forces.

Awards and decorations