Two-volume book:

The Artillery of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Narrated by Yaqub Zuhdi
Compiled by Mahya Hafez
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2026-1-29

The book "The Artillery of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" is the outcome of 29 oral history interview sessions, published in two volumes by the Center for Documents and Research of the Sacred Defense. This work presents a documented narrative of the life and experiences of Brigadier General Yaqub Zehdi. During the Sacred Defense era, he held key responsibilities in establishing, developing, and commanding the IRGC's Artillery Unit and was the third commander of this specialized unit, following the martyrs Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam and Hassan Shafizadeh. He served as the commander of the IRGC Artillery from May 1987 until 1993.

Brigadier General Mahmoud Chaharbaghi, one of the narrators' fellow commanders and comrades in the IRGC Artillery, conducted the interviews, and Amirmohammad Hokmatian edited them. This book is one of the works published as part of the "Documentation of War Commanders Project", which began in 2009 with the aim of completing war documents and recording firsthand, specialized narratives, particularly in the realm of specialized combat units.

Volume One recounts the narrator's life from childhood to his experience commanding the artillery in amphibious operations and is organized into 14 interview sessions. The initial interviews acquaint the reader with the narrator's childhood and education in Tabriz and later at the Marvi High School in Tehran—a city that played a role in shaping his religious character. His memories of working while studying to cover his expenses present an image of the narrator's diligence.

The second and third interviews cover Zehdi's admission to the Physics program at the University of Tabriz in 1974, his active participation in political and revolutionary activities, his expulsion from the university in 1977, and then his military service in the artillery branch. His escape from the garrison to join the "Fajr Islam" group and his eventual membership in the IRGC in February 1979 are a prelude to his entry into military fields.

In the fourth and fifth interviews, his narrative of the first missions after the Islamic Revolution begins. The narrator's presence in the clashes with counter-revolutionaries in Siahkal, confronting the Khans (landlords) of the Kalibar region, and then being dispatched to Sistan and Baluchestan under the cover of the Housing Foundation for poverty alleviation and gaining people's trust are among his first missions. The start of the war during these very missions changes his path towards the southern front.

The sixth interview is dedicated to the birth of the IRGC Artillery Unit. The narrator speaks of his arrival at a deserted school in Padadshahr,[1] Ahvaz, his acquaintance with the martyrs Tehrani Moghaddam and Shafizadeh, and the beginning of round-the-clock efforts to establish the artillery. In this part, he introduces Tehrani Moghaddam as a genius in theorizing and Shafizadeh as superior in field organization, providing memories of establishing the "Velayat-e Faqih Battalion" and interacting with brigades.

In the seventh and eighth interviews, the performance of the artillery in Operation Ramadan and then Operation Muharram is analyzed. Muharram is the IRGC's first independent experience in planning artillery fire, with technical and tactical details. In the eighth session, the narrator points to challenges in coordinating with the Army over fire tactics and the need to develop a tiered combat organization structure.

Interviews nine to eleven are dedicated to the artillery's experience in the tough operations of Dawn Preliminaries (which faced problems with sandy terrain and lack of Army fire support), Dawn 1 and 3 (where he criticizes the Army commanders' lack of belief in the "Fire Instead of Blood" plan), and Dawn 4. Dawn 4 is a successful experience of artillery in mountainous warfare. The narrator points to the vital role of observation and the use of howitzers and the loss of key commanders like Jafar Najafi.

Interviews twelve to fourteen, by entering the era of amphibious warfare, show the increasing complexity of the artillery unit. Operation Kheibar is described as a turning point for the IRGC Artillery in tactics and fire planning, where the artillery independently undertook fire planning. The narrator speaks of erecting observation towers in Talaiyeh and the difficult transport of artillery pieces by hovercraft and landing craft to the Majnoon Islands. This chapter ends with preparations for Operation Badr and then the narrator's mission to establish the Specialized Artillery Training Center at the Ghadir Garrison in Isfahan.

The conclusion of Volume One includes appendices (containing weaponry information and images) and an index.

Volume Two, comprising interviews fifteen to twenty-nine, deals with the era of commandership and the maturity of the IRGC Artillery. This volume begins with a preface and introduction different from the first volume.

Interviews fifteen to eighteen are entirely dedicated to Operation Dawn 8, which the narrator considers the peak of capability and performance of the IRGC Artillery. He details the extraordinary preparations, including the decision to deploy 45 artillery battalions (by transferring 15 battalions from the Army) and constructing camouflaged positions under the surveillance of AWACS aircraft along the Arvand River. In this chapter, the innovative tactic of "Artillery Operations Zone", the decisive role of the Group 63 (Khatam al-Anbiya) in pounding the Iraqi Republican Guard Division, the transport of artillery pieces by vessels like Khazar and Sath to the west of the Arvand, and the narrator's emphasis on a "human-centric approach" in organizational development are analyzed.

Interviews nineteen to twenty-two address confronting Iraq's "Mobile Defense" strategy and Operations Karbala 1 to 5. The narrator introduces the year 1986 as the "toughest phase for the artillery". He analyzes the factors behind the failure of Karbala 4 (such as the operation being compromised and tactic repetition) and, in contrast, the success of Karbala 5 or "the War of Fire". This section points to the vital role of artillery in saving 4,000 to 5,000 fighters from encirclement in the Fish Channel, the encouragement of artillery commanders by Brigadier General Safavi, and the international consequence of this operation (the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 598).

The twenty-third interview narrates Operation Karbala 10 and the bitter incident of the martyrdom of Brigadier General Hassan Shafizadeh. Zehdi, while praising Shafizadeh's sincerity and seriousness, considers the decision to transfer the war's center of gravity to the west as stemming from a "strategic management vacuum" and complains about the six-month delay in issuing his own command order after Shafizadeh's martyrdom.

Interviews twenty-four and twenty-five recount one of the bitterest tragedies of the war: the chemical bombing of Halabja on 25 March 1988 during Operation Dawn 10. The narrator considers this dispersal of forces a strategic error and, while describing heart-wrenching scenes, points to the unparalleled aid provided by combatants to the people of Halabja and then the loss of initiative on the fronts.

Interviews twenty-six to twenty-eight recount the high-pressure days of the year 1988. The narrator analyzes the reasons for the fall of Faw, Shalamcheh, and the Majnoon Islands, detailing Brigadier General Safavi's opposition to withdrawing artillery from Faw and the loss of approximately 50 to 60 artillery pieces. He cites "incorrect defensive thinking" and ignoring developments in the Iraqi Army as factors in the weakness at Shalamcheh. Subsequently, he states the reasons for accepting Resolution 598 (including a letter from Mohsen Rezaei about equipment shortages and economic reports) and then the "Ashura-like" resistance of fighters against the Iraqi attack after accepting the resolution. Operation Mersad and the vital role of the artillery (Groups 15 Khordad and 63 Khatam al-Anbiya) in destroying the column of the Monafeqin (MKO) in the Chaharzabar Pass conclude the war narratives. The narrator also mentions a visit by the Supreme Leader and his belief in the artillery's capabilities.

The twenty-ninth (final) interview is dedicated to the legacy of the war and the post-war period. The narrator speaks of efforts to solidify the "Artillery Command", whose authorization had been obtained by Martyr Shafizadeh from Ali Shamkhani. He explains subsequent challenges within the IRGC structure and notes that ultimately, his command was changed to "Artillery Management" in 1993, and the artillery remained in a state of full readiness at the borders until 1990 and the release of prisoners of war.

Volume two of the book ends with images, documents, and an index. In-text images with captions are also included. The final photographs in both volumes are mostly in color.

The first edition of Volume One of "The Artillery of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" was published in 2023 with 508 pages, a print run of 1,000 copies, in royal octavo size, priced at 210,000 Tomans. Volume Two was published in 2024 with 376 pages, a print run of 500 copies, in royal octavo size, priced at 250,000 Tomans (Iranian Currency).