- By Supratik Das
- Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:49 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, Brigadier General Majid Khademi has been appointed as the new head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organisation after senior Iranian commander Mohammad Kazemi was killed in a targeted Israeli strike in Tehran. As reported by the Tehran Times, it was announced on Thursday by IRGC Commander-in-Chief Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour.
Who Is Majid Khademi?
Brig Gen Majid Khademi, a comparatively low-key yet influential member of Iran's security establishment, he headed the Protection and Intelligence Organisation of the IRGC. He had also been the chief of the Intelligence Protection Organisation of the Iranian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Support between 2018 and 2022. He had also been responsible for intelligence protection in the overall Defence Ministry since July 2022. According to local media reports, Khademi holds dual PhDs in National Security and Strategic Defense Sciences, underscoring his educational background within Iran's military-intelligence community. His new role comes at a time of heightened risk, as Israel continues to target Iranian military infrastructure and leadership in retaliation for Tehran’s missile and drone attacks.
Majid Khademi replaces Mohammad Kazemi, popularly known as Hajj Kazem, who was assassinated along with his deputy Hassan Mohaghegh and commander Mohsen Bagheri in an Israeli airstrike on an IRGC Intelligence Organization building in Tehran on Sunday, 15th June. Kazemi was one of Iran's most powerful intelligence figures. He headed the IRGC's influential Intelligence Protection Organization since at least 2013, a unit directly reporting to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to US Treasury records, Kazemi was instrumental in putting down dissent during Iran's 2022 anti-government protests. The United Kingdom had also sanctioned Kazemi for planning attacks against Israeli citizens outside Israel.
Israel Intensifies Strikes, Targets Iran Nuclear Program
On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant openly threatened Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, after an Iranian missile attack on Israel which struck the Soroka Medical Centre and adjacent residential buildings, injuring at least 240 individuals. Gallant indicated that the Israeli forces "have been directed" to kill Iran's leadership if needed. “In order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist,” he warned. Israel retaliated with another wave of airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites. One of the missiles used by Iran in its latest barrage was reportedly a ballistic missile equipped with cluster munitions, a highly controversial weapon that disperses bomblets across a wide area.
Since hostilities began on June 13, over 639 individuals have died in Iran, among them 263 civilians, and over 1,300 have been wounded, as reported by a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. In Israel, a minimum of 240 people were hurt in the missile attacks on Thursday, 80 patients and medical personnel were impacted by the hospital strike in Soroka. In Washington, the White House announced that President Donald Trump will determine in two weeks if the United States will join Israel's military campaign against Iran. Trump has left the door open for diplomacy, but he also said that Iran's nuclear aspirations continue to be a "red line" for the US and Israel.