Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has appointed a pilot of Russian fighter jets to command the nation’s air force, state television reported on Sunday.
The 56 years-old Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi succeeds F-14 Tomcat pilot Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh.
Vahedi trained on a simulator for a Sukhoi-24, a Russian fighter jet, from 2000 to 2001, the report said. He has worked as the acting commander of the air force since 2018.
Iran’s air force has both Russian and American-made jet fighters in service.
Last month, Khamenei appointed a new chief for the country’s navy.
