Imam Ali (as) Officers’ University of the Army Ground Forces is the most important center for training officers in this branch. Its graduates played a significant role in commanding and leading various army units during the Iran-Iraq War.

This university is considered the oldest and most historic military educational institution in the Iranian Army. Its foundation goes back to the Dar al-Fonun school, which was established by Amir Kabir. In 1921, the military science schools were merged, and the following year they were moved to the site that now serves as the Officers’ University, where they adopted the new name Madarese‑ye Nezam (Military Schools). The first graduation ceremony took place in 1923.⁠[1]

From 1935 onward, the name was officially changed to the Officers’ School. Between 1923 and 1978, a total of 16,400 students completed 55 different courses at this school and went on to join military units as commissioned officers.⁠[2]

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the university experienced turbulent times. Some students were influenced by political groups, which disrupted discipline and order in this military institution.⁠[3] In 1979, Colonel Seyyed Moosa Namjoo, who had himself taught at the Officers’ School for fifteen years, was appointed as commander. In his first actions, he made fundamental changes to the command structure and academic staff. He removed individuals who were associated with the former regime or linked to other political groups.⁠[4]

Following Iraq’ s invasion of Iran on September 22, 1980, the Officers’ School also joined the fight against the enemy. The graduation ceremony for the students had been scheduled for September 24, 1980, but with the outbreak of war, Colonel Namjoo ordered the second- and third-year students to be deployed. Therefore, 710 students, organized into three combat battalions, were flown by ten C-130 aircraft from Mehrabad Airport to Ahvaz. One battalion was sent to Hamidiyeh and Susangerd, another to Hamid Camp and Jofeir, and the remaining battalion to Khorramshahr.⁠[5]

The students arrived in Ahvaz three days after the war began. Some of them were stationed in the Aria neighborhood in the area between Abadan and Khorramshahr. Starting from September 25, they joined the defenders of Khorramshahr in three battalions⁠[6] and reinforced the 151st Dezh Battalion (part of the 92nd Armored Division of Ahvaz).⁠[7] Together with other units of the Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, they took part in the defense of Khorramshahr. After the fall of Khorramshahr (October 1980), the deployed students returned from Khuzestan to Tehran to continue their studies. During this period, fifty of them had been martyred.⁠[8]

Throughout the Iran-Iraq War, personnel from the Officers’ School, including officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers, and students, were repeatedly deployed to the frontlines, with 885 sent in 1980, 1,741 in 1981, 2,729 in 1982, 962 in 1983, 2,588 in 1984, 878 in 1985, 1,201 in 1986, 1,284 in 1987, and 119 in 1988. They took part in various operations.⁠[9]

During the war, 3,006 individuals entered the Officers’ School as students over eight courses. After graduation, they were commissioned as officers and assigned to different army units.⁠[10] These officers served in various positions, including chiefs of staff and commanders of forces, headquarters, divisions, brigades, battalions, and combat support units.⁠[11] Approximately 1000 of them were martyred.⁠[12] Among the prominent martyrs of the Officers’ School are Major Mahdi Tahamtan and Major Faramarz Javanshir, who served as commanders of the Officers’ School student companies in Khorramshahr.⁠[13]

After the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1991, with the addition of several new fields of study, the Officers’ School was upgraded to a university, and it was named after Imam Ali (as).⁠[14] Also, in 1994, Lieutenant General Ali Sayyad Shirazi (martyred) created the War Studies Department of the university to ensure that the experiences of the Sacred Defense would be passed on to future generations. From the very beginning, wartime commanders regularly visited the university and, through a well-organized educational program, shared their experiences with the students. In addition to the theoretical courses, a practical field phase was also planned and carried out by the instructors. These training programs continue to this day.⁠[15]

At the Imam Ali (as) Officers’ University, three continuous bachelor’ s programs in defense studies are currently offered, with majors in Defense Sciences, Defense Engineering, and Defense Management. The university also offers a continuous bachelor’ s program in Aviation, which includes two majors: Helicopter Piloting and Helicopter Maintenance. Moreover, there is a bachelor’ s program in Political-Ideological Studies with two majors: Theology and Political Sciences. In total, with these three programs and seven majors, sixteen specialized fields (known as “ Rasteh” in the Army) are taught at the university. Students in each field must complete between 130 and 135 academic units. In addition to their coursework, they also participate in numerous field exercises, including an initial combat training camp upon entry, two summer camps in the desert and forest, commando training, and a winter camp. These programs are designed to prepare them both as professional officers and future commanders of the Army.⁠[16]

During the Iran-Iraq War, the following officers successively served as commanders of the Officers’ School: Colonel Seyyed Moosa Namjoo, Colonel Ali Sayyad Shirazi, Colonel Ataollah Salehi, Colonel Asadollah Heydari, Colonel Ebrahim Madani, and Brigadier General Seyyed Nooraldin Makki.⁠[17] Currently, Brigadier General Ali Mahdavi is the commander of the university.⁠[18]