--- ---  # Iran Names New Quds Force Commander Following Qasem Soleimani's Assassination by [Yasna Haghdoost / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Yasna Haghdoost / Bloomberg Jan 3, 2020 12:40 PM CUT  Protesters hold up an image of Qasem Soleimani during a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq which killed him on Jan. 3, 2020. Protesters hold up an image of Qasem Soleimani during a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq which killed him on Jan. 3, 2020.Ali Mohammadi—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Yasna Haghdoost / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Yasna Haghdoost / Bloomberg Jan 3, 2020 12:40 PM CUT (Bloomberg) — Qasem Soleimani’s deputy Esmail Ghaani has been named commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. **Read more:** [_Why the U.S. Assassination of Iranian Quds Force Leader Qasem Soleimani Has the U.S. Bracing for Retaliation_](https://time.com/5758250/qasem-soleimani-iran-retaliation/ "undefined") The announcement was made after Soleimani was [killed by a U.S. airstrike in Iraq](https://time.com/5758250/qasem-soleimani-iran-retaliation/ "undefined"), in a major escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington. Iran has vowed a swift and severe retaliation in response to Soleimani’s death, which officials have described as an act of state-sponsored terrorism. Iran Names New Quds Force Chief Following Soleimani Killing ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5758317/iran-soleimani-replacement-quds-force-commander/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5758317/iran-soleimani-replacement-quds-force-commander/"},"headline":"Iran Names New Quds Force Commander Following Qasem Soleimani's Assassination","datePublished":"2020-01-03T12:40:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T07:59:49.179Z","description":"Qasem Soleimani’s deputy has been named as the new Quds Force leader","url":"https://time.com/5758317/iran-soleimani-replacement-quds-force-commander/","keywords":["Iran","Iraq","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt914260b63b6d127e/698a084c096a942d896a7881/iran-quds-guard-soleimani-replacement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Yasna Haghdoost / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt914260b63b6d127e/698a084c096a942d896a7881/iran-quds-guard-soleimani-replacement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Iranians March Following U.S. Iraq Airstrike","caption":"Iranians March Following U.S. Iraq Airstrike","creditText":"Ali Mohammadi—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/iran/","name":"Iran"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5758317/iran-soleimani-replacement-quds-force-commander/","name":"Iran Names New Quds Force Commander Following Qasem Soleimani's Assassination"}}]}] ```