Commander Of IRGC Contracting Arm Replaced Only After Two Years

Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s Khatam al-Anbiya contracting arm was removed from his post only two years after being in office.

n Monday, Brigadier General Hossein Housh Al-Sadat was replaced by another IRGC commander Abdolreza Abed.

As a top commander in Iran's western Kordestan province during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Abed led IRGC engineering units. He has also served as the CEO of oil, gas and petrochemical holding in Khatam al-Anbiya.

When the former Commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters Saeed Mohammad announced his bid for presidency in 2021, Housh al-Sadat replaced him.

At the time some politicians had opposed Housh Al-Sadat's appointment questioning at his financial integrity.

Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter is one of Iran's largest contractors in industrial and development projects. It was created during the 1980–88 Iran–Iraq War to help rebuild the country and has diversified over the years into companies dealing with mechanical engineering, energy, mining, and defense.

Involvement of the IRGC in business began in earnest two decades ago and has become a highly controversial issue in the country. Former president Hassan Rouhani in 2017 publicly criticized the practice and met a quick reaction by hardliners. He had to retract his statements at the time.

In February, the head of Iranian National Tax Administration (INTA) threatened a reporter who asked him why Khatam-al Anbiya does not pay taxes since 2017.

In response, the INTA chief threatened the reporter, saying he has to provide documents to back up his question, and if the documents are not presented, the prosecutor will indict him.

No reporter in Iran can obtain such documents.