My colleague, and friend Dr. Magnus Ranstorp, Swedish Counter Terrorism luminary and the west foremost expert on Hamas, and Hezbollah gives an excellent background brief on Iran’s IRGC Quds Force Commander.
He replaced Qasem Soleimani after President Trump ordered his death.
Esmail Qaani is a veteran of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, born in 1957 in Mashhad, who rose through the ranks after participating in the Iran-Iraq war. He built up a profile early on as a loyal and disciplinary commander and was later given responsibility for security issues in eastern Iran as well as operations linked to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
As a deputy to Qasem Soleimani, he had special responsibility for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. After Soleimani’s death in 2020, he was appointed by Ali Khamenei as head of the Quds Force, where he ensured continuity in Iran’s regional strategy.
Qaani’s role as the leader of the IRGC Quds Force can be reduced to three key tasks:
Operational control over Iran’s external military operations
Systematic Construction and Governance of Proxy Networks
Consolidation of Iran’s regional power and influence
The Quds Force (IRGC-QF) is organized geographically and functionally. As a manager, Qaani has overall responsibility, but the business is divided into clear regional and operational portfolios.
Functional responsibilities include operational leadership of Iran’s external military operations, including planning and coordination between the IRGC, intelligence agencies and local partners. They also include the building, financing and governance of proxy networks consisting of militias and paramilitary groups.
These include intelligence gathering abroad, counter-espionage and the protection of operational networks. Logistics and arms smuggling, including the transport of weapons, drones and missile technology, as well as the maintenance of strategic supply lines – especially through the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon corridor.
Finally, the responsibility includes strategic influence through political influence in key countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, in close interaction with diplomatic channels.