On April 4, 2005, Brigadier General and pilot Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf resigned from his position as the commander of the police force, a resignation that was accepted by Ayatollah Khamenei.

It was later reported that Ghalibaf sent another letter, resigning from the military altogether and requesting to leave the military ranks. Ayatollah Khamenei fully approved this departure, and Ghalibaf has since been regarded as a civilian.