In this September 23, 2015 file photo, Iranian soldiers take a picture with a Winnie the Pooh character next to a F-14 fighter jet in an exhibition of achievements and equipment of Iran's air force in Tehran, Iran. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi)
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s top leader has appointed a new chief for its air force, state-run media reported Sunday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh as the new air force chief, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Nasirzadeh, a former F-14 Tomcat pilot and veteran of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, has been the air force’s acting commander since 2017. He succeeds Gen. Hassan Shahsafi, who has held the post since 2008.
The appointment comes as part of a routine reshuffle of army commanders.
Illustrative photo: US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets from the Iranian air force. (photo credit: AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI)
Iran began purchasing dozens of F-14 Tomcats from the US in 1976. The country’s air force has both American and Russian-made fighter jets in service.
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Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many Iranian pilots received their training in the US.
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