Also known as
Ismail Kaani, Ismail Qa'ani, Ismail Qaani, Qaani
Esmail Qaani is the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, Iran's primary instrument for external operations and proxy coordination. Known for managing Iran's network of allied militias across Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen in support of the Resistance Axis doctrine. Recently, Qaani has made repeated visits to Baghdad to coordinate pro-Iran factions, issued warnings to the U.S. and Israel, and publicly pledged continued support for Hezbollah and Hamas. Last updated 2 days ago
Nechirvan Barzani, head of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, mediated behind-the-scenes contact between the U.S. and the IRGC, including two Baghdad meetings with Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, Al Arabiya reports. Tehran denies it.
Senior Iraqi Kurdish sources say Nichervan Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Region, met twice in Baghdad with IRGC Quds Force commander Ismail Qaani over the past two months, passing messages as part of secret U.S.–Iran mediation. - Al-Arabiya
Quds Force commander Ismail Qaani has wrapped his Baghdad visit, meeting Iraq's leadership and pro-Iranian militia reps, per Al-Hadath.
He told the militias to hold onto their weapons and pressed Baghdad to "use the card of the militias" as leverage against Washington. Qaani also criticized fighters who agreed to disarm, calling their arsenals Iranian weapons, not Iraqi.
Quds Force commander Ismail Kaani asked Iraqi factions to stall the disarmament of the militias during his recent visit, Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports. Kaani reportedly called disarming the Iraqi militias "a knife in the back of Iran," warning it would open the door to disarming other pro-Iranian militias across the region.
IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani made an unannounced visit to Baghdad last night, holding separate meetings with Coordination Framework leaders and commanders of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias.
The meetings focused on the contentious ...
IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani made an unannounced visit to Baghdad last night, holding separate meetings with Coordination Framework leaders and commanders of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias.
The meetings focused on the contentious issue of restricting weapons to state control, a topic gaining urgency ahead of a late-September deadline that has fueled concerns the Iraqi government could use force against armed factions.
Qaani urged the militias to avoid clashes with Iraqi security forces but stopped short of endorsing disarmament, stressing the need for the factions to keep their weapons amid rising American threats against the "axis of resistance." - Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports, citing its sources, that Quds Force commander Ismail Qa'ani has arrived in Iraq and met with senior officials from the pro-Iranian militias and pro-Iranian parties in the country.
The same sources say the s...
Saudi channel Al-Hadath reports, citing its sources, that Quds Force commander Ismail Qa'ani has arrived in Iraq and met with senior officials from the pro-Iranian militias and pro-Iranian parties in the country.
The same sources say the sides discussed the Iraqi government's effort to disarm the militias. A separate report to the Iraqi news agency Shafaq News, citing a knowledgeable source, claims Qa'ani and the pro-Iranian elements will also discuss giving Iraq a practical option to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Saudi government is expected to learn from America's ill-advised and costly behavior and end the blockade imposed on a Muslim country with a population of more than 38 million people.
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Iran's Commander of the Quds Force, Ismail Qaani:
The Saudi government is expected to learn from America's ill-advised and costly behavior and end the blockade imposed on a Muslim country with a population of more than 38 million people.
The expectations of Muslims around the world from Saudi Arabia, which considers itself the protector of the Two Holy Mosques, is that instead of continuing the war and putting pressure on an oppressed Muslim nation, it should use its power and resources to support the Palestinian people and confront the crimes of the Zionist entity.
Trying to save oppressed Gaza is a matter of honor, not continuing the blockade on the oppressed Yemeni people.
Quds Force commander Ismail Qaani hit out at Saudi Arabia over Yemen:
"The lifting of the 11-year blockade on Yemen is a just and humanitarian demand for the oppressed people of this country. The Saudi government is expected to learn from the experience of the irrational behavior of the United States, and put an end to the blockade of a Muslim country with a population of more than 38 million people."
Esmail Qaani, chief of the IRGC Quds Force, congratulated Khalil al-Hayya on his election as head of Hamas's political office. He claimed Israel has failed to stop the resistance, which he said "today, stronger than ever, will continue its honorable path." - Mehr News (Iranian state media)
I’m sure Israeli stealth drones are watching every move.
Vahidi, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, and Qaani, commander of the Iranian Quds Force, were seen in the crowd at the Khamenei funeral prayer this morning.
“The commander of Iran's Quds Force, Qaani, has recently been issuing numerous threats toward Israel. It seems the image of a collaborator suited him much better than this ridiculous barrage of threats. Either way, if Iran attacks Israel, it will be its biggest mistake yet. Here, no Hormuz or firing at the population will help it. Nothing will stop us. Our forces are prepared to finish the job.”
IRGC Qods Force Commander Esmail Qaani: "Americans should know their place and avoid confronting the Muslims. Trump is trembling. The U.S. should fear not only Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, but many other locations as well."
“The great victory of Hezbollah is approaching, God willing. Let the world watch with open eyes as the resistance achieves victory over the Zionist enemy.”
Israel’s actions in southern Lebanon will not break Hezbollah. Southern Lebanon will remain a stronghold of resistance, and Hezbollah will continue fighting Israel.
IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Qaani: "From the Strait of Hormuz to Bab el-Mandeb, from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea, the resistance axis will form a new security belt."
Iran is now openly tying international maritime routes to its regional project.
Esmail Qaani Commander of IRGC Quds Force:
"Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Gaza, backed openly by the United States, will only reinforce the Resistance Axis’s resolve to increase its support for both fronts and activate additional fronts."
IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani on the Gaza flotillas:
"The victories of the 'Sumud' flotilla continue, it tore down the false walls of Western civilization's freedoms and further exposed Zionist fascism. It returned Palestine to the center of global attention. It brought the defeated Zionist regime, which has resorted to escalating oppression and crime, closer than ever to its end."
IRGC Quds Force chief Qaani issued condolences over the kiIIng of Hamas main military commander Ezz al-Din al-Haddad, vowing his death would inspire Palestinian fighters.
Quds Force chief Gen. Ismail Qaani was in Baghdad over the past 48 hours meeting Iran-backed militia leaders and Iraqi officials, per Al-Akhbar.
Sources told the outlet the visit focused on reorganizing pro-Iran factions and keeping coordination channels intact amid the Iran-Israel-U.S. escalation.
Reports of Israeli military presence inside Iraq preceded the visit.
