Hossein Taeb

Hossein Taeb is an Iranian Shia cleric, military commander, and politician who has served as head of the Basij Organization since August 2026. He previously served as an adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and as head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization. Taeb was born in Tehran. After completing his primary and secondary education in Tehran, he pursued religious studies at seminaries in Tehran, Qom, and Mashhad, reaching the level of advanced dars-e kharej studies. As part of his education, he attended courses in Islamic jurisprudence and its principles taught by Javad Tabrizi, Fazel Lankarani, and Ali Khamenei. His clerical rank is Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimin. In 1982, Taeb joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Early in his career, he served with the IRGC's Region 10 in Tehran and with IRGC units in Qom and Razavi Khorasan provinces. He served during the Iran–Iraq War, during which he became acquainted with Mojtaba Khamenei, who would later become Iran's supreme leader. He later transferred to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, where he rose to a senior managerial position. Ahead of Iran's 2005 presidential election, he worked alongside Mojtaba Khamenei in support of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's candidacy, before later shifting his support to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. From 2005 to 2007, Taeb served as deputy for cultural and social affairs at the IRGC Joint Staff. From 2007 to 2008, he served as deputy commander of the Basij Resistance Force, and from 2008 to 2009 he headed the force. In July 2008, he was formally appointed commander of the Basij Resistance Force. Taeb also served for a period as coordinating deputy at the Office of the Supreme Leader, for more than three years as deputy for cultural affairs at the IRGC Joint Staff, and as head of the Faculty of Culture at Imam Hossein University. He was also reported to have served as commander of the IRGC Intelligence Protection Organization and as deputy for counterintelligence at the Ministry of Intelligence during the tenure of Ali Fallahian. In October 2009, following the establishment of the IRGC Intelligence Organization, Taeb was appointed to head the organization. He remained in the position until June 2022, when he was appointed an adviser to the commander-in-chief of the IRGC. On August 10, 2026, Taeb was appointed head of the Basij Organization. The appointment was made by decree of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.