In 1982, he led the Iranian Pasdaran and Basij soldiers to victory in the Iranian Operation Undeniable Victory, this was the first time Iran was able to defeat Iraq in a major battle, Iran broke through Iraq's "impenetrable" defense lines and expelled them from the Dezful-Shush area, this operation is considered by many as the turning point in the war.
The Iranian Army has published an article on the 8th of February 2009, heavily criticizing the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) and Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for falsification of the facts about the Iran–Iraq War in favor of the IRGC and ignoring the role of the Iranian Army in the war.
His replacement of Yahya Rahim Safavi the former IRGC commander, was thought to be a move by Khamenei to strengthen the conservative faction as a counterweight to the radicalizers around President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Safavi is close to Ahmadinejad).