The Ideological-Political Office of the Army was established after the Islamic Revolution and played a key role during the Iran-Iraq War. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, one of the country’s major challenges was determining the future of the armed forces, especially the Army. Imam Khomeini (ra) called on preserving the Army while restructuring its regulations in line with the principles and ideals of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic.⁠[1]

At that time, Islamic associations began forming in military centers, usually headed by a cleric.⁠[2] From early 1979 onward, Ayatollah Khamenei held a series of meetings focused on the Army, during which the idea of forming a cultural institution within the Army took shape. On October 16, 1979, the matter was raised and approved in the Islamic Revolutionary Council.⁠[3] Imam Khomeini’s office then appointed Hojatolislam Gholamreza Safaei as head of the “Ideological-Political Office of the Army”.⁠[4] Subsequently, the Islamic associations that had been active up to that point were dissolved.⁠[5] Later on, President Abolhassan Banisadr, who had also become the Commander-in-Chief, opposed the new institution. To resolve the issue, those in charge of the Ideological-Political Office turned to the Islamic Consultative Assembly and Ayatollah Khamenei for solutions. On April 6, 1981, a meeting was held with Imam Khomeini (ra) attending. Ayatollah Khamenei proposed formalizing the ideological-political structure of the Army and issuing an appointment decree for Hojatolislam Safaei. Imam Khomeini (ra) approved the proposal, and on April 11, he issued the decree appointing Hojatolislam Gholamreza Safaei as the first head of the Ideological-Political Office of the Army. On the same day, in a directive to Brigadier General Valiollah Fallahi (Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army), Imam Khomeini (ra) clarified that the office should follow only the authority of the Guardian Jurist (Velayat-e Faqih) in setting its policy line, while remaining under the Joint Staff in personnel and logistical matters.⁠[6]

The mission and duties of the Ideological-Political Office were defined as Islamizing the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the Ministry of Defense in all areas, based on the principles of the Constitution and the guidelines of the Leader of the Revolution, so that faith and ideology would become the foundation and standard in every aspect of the Army and Ministry. Given these responsibilities, the office’s main activities included propagation, public relations, education, political affairs, the assessment of ideological suitability, and inspection.⁠[7] Following these decrees, the structure and organization of the Ideological-Political Office of the Army was formed. Hojatolislam Muhammad Muhammadi Golpayegani assumed responsibility for political-ideological affairs in the Air Force, Hojatolislam Muhammad-Sadeq Kamelan in the Ground Force, and Hojatolislam Muhammad-Ali Elahi in the Navy.

The first unofficial structure of the Ideological-Political Office of the Army was drawn up on June 15, 1981, and its activities started accordingly. On 13th of July 1983, the first officially approved structure was issued. Until August 1983, the title “Ideological-Political Office” was used, after which it was officially renamed the “Ideological-Political Office of the Army”.

With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War and the growing need for Ideological-Political Office personnel on the frontlines, training them in ideological-political matters became a priority, aiming to cultivate the Islamic character envisioned by the Islamic Republic. The office organized 120-hour educational classes for Army personnel, invited clerics and seminary professors, and held training sessions in operational zones for the forces. Moreover, it began publishing magazines such as Saf, Sarbaz, Khanevadeh, and various special issues, distributing them alongside major newspapers to those on the frontlines to keep them updated with the latest national news.

The Ideological-Political Office personnel were also involved in propagational activities using available tools such as banners, posters, audio and video cassettes, and lectures. In addition, they set up stations for evacuating the wounded and martyrs.⁠[8] They also organized literacy classes for illiterate conscripts and some regular Army personnel. Artists from the office performed a range of plays in forward operational areas and military garrisons to boost the troops’ cultural, religious, and epic morale.⁠[9]

In the early days of the war, the newly formed Ideological-Political Office of the Army suffered from a shortage of qualified personnel. Therefore, the authorities of the office launched an initiative known as “Rabeteen (liaisons)”. Accordingly, they would identify committed and revolutionary military personnel in various units and appoint them as liaisons between the office and those units.⁠[10]

In December 1982, the Ideological-Political Training Center was opened. The center recruited students from officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) training schools in the Army Ground, Air, and Naval forces, trained them as ideological-political officers and NCOs, and assigned them to Army operational units.⁠[11] The first group of students graduated in May 1983.⁠[12]

On June 21, 1982, the Army Construction Jihad Directorate was formed under the Ideological-Political Office. It later expanded to the three branches of the Army and the Ministry of Defense. Following this directive, artisans and bazaar merchants supplied the Army with material and technical resources. One of the first actions was to mobilize mechanics and auto-repair workers to fix and restart vehicles and machinery in garrisons that had broken down or been damaged in operational areas. For example, between May and July 1982, the Army Ground Force Ideological-Political Construction Jihad recruited around 216 auto mechanics from across the country and sent them to the warfronts.⁠[13]

Initially, the central body of the Ideological-Political Office was referred to as the “Office”, and its subordinate units as “Organizations”. Following changes in organizational structures, this was reversed in January 1988: the central body became the “Organization”, while the former organizations were redesignated as “Offices”.⁠[14]

Twenty-one clerics affiliated with the Ideological-Political Organization of the Army were martyred—eleven during the Sacred Defense and ten thereafter. During the Iran–Iraq War, 100 official and conscript ideological-political personnel of the organization were also martyred. In addition, there are 198 clerics and 424 military veterans, as well as 30 former prisoners of war active in the organization.⁠[15] Among those who were martyred during the war are Hojatolislam Muhammad-Ali Amininejad, ideological-political head of the Third Naval Region (Khorramshahr),⁠[16] and Captain Esmaeil Kamasi, ideological-political head of the 2nd Dezful Brigade.⁠[17]

Initially, in addition to the ideological-political bodies of the three Army branches and the Joint Staff, the Ministry of Defense’s Ideological-Political Organization was under the Army’s directorate. However, after the ministries of Defense and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were merged into the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on 19th of August 1989), Article 6 of the new law made the Ministry’s Ideological-Political Organization independent from the Army.⁠[18]

After the Sacred Defense, the structure of the Ideological-Political Organization of the Army underwent several changes. On March 8, 1999, a new plan for the Ideological-Political Directorate of the Army was approved and issued by the Leader of the Revolution and Commander-in-Chief. The plan foresaw 18 ideological-political offices operating under the central organization. In 2001, the plan was halted, and the structure reverted to its previous form.⁠[19]

Hojatolislam Gholamreza Safaei was appointed the first head of the organization in May 1979 and served until 1995. The position was held by Hojatoleslam Mahmoud Qouchani from 1995 to mid-2000, followed by Hojatoleslam Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi from August 2000 to July 2009, and by Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad-Ali Al-e Hashem from July 19, 2009, until July 2017. Hojatolislam Abbas Muhammad-Hassani has been the head of the Ideological-Political Organization of the Army since July 2017.⁠[20]