Iranian officials have rubbished media reports about the death of Army Chief Amir Hatami amid the latest US and Israeli strikes on Iran. This comes as several publications and commentators on social media baselessly claimed that the defense chief was killed.
Claims about Amir Hatami’s death
On Saturday, claims about Amir Hatami’s death surfaced on popular social media platforms like X, Facebook, and Reddit.
“Israeli media claim that the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army, Amir Hatami, has been killed,” one person wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“International media outlets, citing Israeli sources, report that General Amir Hatami was killed during a series of preemptive strikes launched by Israel against targets in Tehran,” another person tweeted.
Fact-check
Hatami’s office shared a statement with Reuters. It read: “Iran’s army chief Major General Amir Hatami is safe and actively commanding the armed forces.”
Who is Amir Hatami?
Hatami was born in 1966 in Tehran. He joined the Basij at 14 and began serving in the Iranian Army Ground Forces in 1984. Before being appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Army in June 2025 by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he participated in the Iran-Iraq War. He replaced Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi after the assassination of General Mohammad Bagheri.
In a directive, Supreme Leader Khamenei had urged Hatami to adopt a ‘transformative and revolutionary approach’ for the military.
“With the Army’s vast pool of capable and faithful personnel, and the experience gained during the Sacred Defense and beyond, it is expected that under your command, efforts to enhance combat readiness, strengthen spiritual and ideological foundations, improve personnel welfare, and boost cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces will accelerate,” the decree added.
US, Israel attack Iran
This comes as the US and Israel carried out an attack against Iran on Saturday. Explosions rocked Tehran and columns of smoke rose into the sky.
“The hour for your freedom is at hand,” Trump said, addressing Iranians in a video posted on Truth Social on Saturday. “When we’re finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”