Mohsen Rafighdoost
Mohsen Rafighdoost | |
|---|---|
 Rafighdoost in 2015 | |
| Born | 1940 (age 83–84) Tehran,Iran |
| Allegiance | Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Years of service | 1979–present |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles/wars | Iran–Iraq War |
| Awards |  Order of Nasr |
| Head of Mostazafan Foundation | |
| In office 6 September 1989 – 22 July 1999 | |
| Appointed by | Ali Khamenei |
| Preceded by | Mir-Hossein Mousavi |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Forouzandeh |
| Minister of Revolutionary Guards | |
| In office 9 November 1982 – 13 September 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Mir-Hossein Mousavi |
| Preceded by | Ministry founded |
| Succeeded by | Ali Shamkhani |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Islamic Coalition Party |
Mohsen Rafighdoust(alsoRafiqdoust,Persian:محسن رفیقدوست) is an IranianRevolutionary Guardsmilitary officer andconservativepolitician. He is a member of theIslamic Coalition Party.[1]
Early life
[edit]Rafighdoost was born around 1940 in southTehran.His family background is that of abazaari,the traditional class of people who work in thebazaar.[2]His father was a fruit and vegetable merchant at the Tehran bazaar.[3]His family was very religious and close toRuhollah Khomeini.In 1953, Rafighdoost was expelled fromsecondary schooldue to his pro-Mossadeghactivities.[4]
Military career
[edit]Mohsen Rafighdoost was the chief ofRuhollah Khomeini's security detail in 1979 during theIranian Revolution,and helped found theRevolutionary Guardswho helpedeliminate oppositionto theocratic rule in theIslamic Republic.
He is noted for having drivenRuhollah Khomeini,the leader of the Revolution, from theTehraninternational airport into Tehran, during Khomeini's triumphant return to Iran fromFrance,while hundreds of Iranians crowded the road to welcome Khomeini back. He has told journalists this was the most important day of his life and "crowds were all over the car, touching and hanging on to it."[5]
He served from 1982 to 1989 as Minister of the Revolutionary Guards[6]where he quashed internal dissent and obtained weapons from abroad for theIran–Iraq War.
Rafighdoost said in a 2014 interview that he twice suggested to Khomeini that Iran developweapons of mass destructionto counter theiruse by Saddam Hussein.Rafighdoost claimed that both times Khomeini rejected the idea, reasoning that it would be against Islam.[7]
Business career
[edit]In 1989 he was appointed head of the Mostazafan Foundation orBonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan(Foundation of the Oppressed), "the second-largest commercial enterprise" in Iran behind the state-ownedNational Iranian Oil Company[3]where he remained until 1999.
Since 1999, Mohsen Rafighdoost has been the Director of the Noor Foundation. The Foundation reportedly owns apartment blocks and "makes an estimated $200 million importing pharmaceuticals, sugar and construction materials."[8]
Personal life
[edit]In 1995, Mohsen Rafighdoost's brother, Morteza Rafighdoost, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for bank fraud.[9]After this, Supreme LeaderAli Khameneiappointed a board of trustees and made the Bonyad-e Mostazafen va Janbazan subject toparliamentaryscrutiny.[10]
Rafighdoost's personal fortune is said to be worth the equivalent of many millions of dollars.[2]When asked about his personal wealth, Rafighdoost has responded: "I am just a normal person, with normal wealth, but if Islam is threatened, I will become big again."[3]
References
[edit]- ^Rahnema, Ali (February 20, 2013) [December 15, 2008]."ii. Jamʿiyat-e Moʾtalefa and the Islamic Revolution".JAMʿIYAT-E MOʾTALEFA-YE ESLĀMI i. Hayʾathā-ye Moʾtalefa-ye Eslāmi 1963-79.Encyclopædia Iranica.Fasc. 5. Vol. XIV. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 483–500.RetrievedMarch 15,2016.
- ^abKaplan,The Ends of the Earth, (1996), p.201
- ^abcPaul Klebnikov. (7 July 2003).Millionaire mullahsForbes,Retrieved 15 May 2009
- ^"A Bazaari's World".The Atlantic.March 1996.Retrieved4 December2022.
- ^Kaplan,The Ends of the Earth,(1996), p.200
- ^"Islamic Republic of Iran Crimes".Archived fromthe originalon October 26, 2006.
- ^Porter, Gareth (17 October 2014)."When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes".Foreign Policy.Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2014.Retrieved10 March2017.
- ^Frederic Wehrey. et.al. (2009).The Rise of the PasdaranRAND Corporation. Retrieved 4 December 2022ISBN978-0-8330-4620-8
- ^"THE CHANGE AT THE DEPRIVED FOUNDATION A CONCESSION TO KHATAMI?".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-30.Retrieved2009-09-05.
- ^"On Mohammad Forouzandeh".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-09-17.Retrieved2009-09-05.
Bibliography
[edit]- A Bazaari's World by Robert D. KaplanMarch 1996Atlanticaccessed 15-May-2009, also in (with minor changes) Kaplan, Robert,The Ends of the Earth: A Journey at the Dawn of the 21st Century,Random House, New York, 1996
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
