Iran appoints new navy chief

Iran’s supreme leader appointed a new chief for the country’s navy, state media reports.

The official IRNA news agency says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Adm. Shahram Irani as the new navy chief under the country’s army. Adm. Irani was working as a senior army officer so far, and will now succeed Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, who has held the post since 2017.

In his decree, Khamenei urges Irani to improve the Navy, though no reason was given for the replacement.

Iran’s Navy, under the army, is mainly in charge of operations in the Sea of Oman and beyond in international waters. The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard oversees a separate navy in the Persian Gulf. The US Navy occasionally complains about harassment by the Guard’s gunboats.