Hossein Dehghani Poudeh ( fa, حسین دهقانی پوده; born 2 March 1957), commonly known as Hossein Dehghan, is a former
IRGC air force
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air and Space Force (IRGCASF; fa, نیروی هوافضای سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, niru-ye havâfazây-e sepâh-e pâsdârâ ...
officer with the rank of
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
and the former
minister of defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
of Iran. He was designated for the position by President
Hassan Rouhani
Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...
on 4 August 2013 and confirmed by the parliament on 15 August.
He left the office on 20 August 2017.
Early life and education
Dehghani was born in a village near
Shahreza
Shahreza ( fa, شهرضا, also Romanized as Shahrezā and Shahriza; formerly Komsheh, then Qomsheh (Persian: ), also Romanized as Kowmsheh, and Qowmsheh) is a city and capital of Shahreza County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its ...
, called
Pudeh,
Dehaqan County
Dehaqan County ( fa, شهرستان دهاقان) is in Isfahan province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to ...
,
Isfahan province, in 1957.
[Biography of Hossein Dehghani](_blank)
, Iranian government official website[ He received a PhD in management from ]the University of Tehran
The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...
.
Career and activities
Dehghani served as a commander in the Iranian Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and in its air force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
. He left his hometown for Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
and joined the IRGC shortly after the Iranian revolution in 1979. His posts at the IRGC include commander of IRGC of Tehran (1980-1982), Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
, and Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
(1982-1983),[ and general manager of the IRGC's Cooperatives Foundation (1996).][
During the Iran-Iraq war, he was among leading and decision-making commanders of the IRGC along with ]Mohsen Rezaee
Mohsen Rezaee ( fa, محسن رضایی, born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed ( fa, سبزوار رضایی میرقائد) on 1 September 1954) is an Iranian conservative politician affiliated with the Resistance Front of Islamic Iran and senior milit ...
, Rahim Safavi
Yahya "Rahim" Safavi ( fa, یحیی (رحیم) صفوی, born 1952) is an Iranian military commander who served as the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Early life
Safavi was born in 1952 in the city of Isfahan, Iran.
C ...
and Ali Shamkhani
Ali Shamkhani (Persian: , born 29 September 1955) is an Iranian two-star general. He is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
Early life and education
Shamkhani was born on 29 September 1955 in Ahvaz, Khuzestan. His f ...
. In Syria and Lebanon he was the commander of the training corps of the IRGC.[ He was named the IRGC's air force deputy commander in 1986 and became its commander in April 1990.] His tenure lasted until 1992 and he was replaced by Mohammad Hossein Jalali
Mohammad Hossein Jalali ( fa, محمدحسین جلالی) is an Iranian military official who served as minister of defense.
Career
Jalali was appointed minister of defense in October 1985 to the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mou ...
in the post.[ Dehghani was named deputy chief of the IRGC Joint Staff in 1992.][ He later was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.][
]
Next he served as deputy to the then defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...
from 1997 to 2003.[ In 2003, he held the post of acting defense minister. He was made ]Vice President of Iran
The vice president of Iran ( fa, معاون رئیسجمهور ایران) is defined by article 124 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Constitution of Iran, as anyone appointed by the president of Iran to lead an organization ...
and head of the martyrs foundation, " Bonyad Shahid", in 2005 and served as its president until July 2009.[Biography of Hossein Dehghan](_blank)
''Hamshahri
''Hamshahri'' ( fa, همشهری, "Fellow citizen"; ) is a major national Iranian Persian-language newspaper.
History and profile
''Hamshahri'' is published by the municipality of Tehran, and founded by Gholamhossein Karbaschi. It is the first ...
'' In addition, he served as an advisor to the former President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدینژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956), .[ From 2009 to 2010 he was the deputy to Ali Shamkhani in the Armed Forces Strategic Studies Center.][ Then he was appointed secretary of the Expediency Council's political, defense and security committee in 2010.][ He also served as an advisor to Speaker of Parliament ]Ali Larijani
Ali Ardeshir Larijani ( fa, علی لاریجانی, ; born 3 June 1957) is an Iranian conservative politician, philosopher and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran ...
and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf or Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf ( fa, محمد باقر قالیباف, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian conservative politician, former military officer, and current Speaker of the Parliament of Iran since 2020. He held of ...
.[ However, Dehghani distanced himself from Ahmedinejad in 2012 and joined ]Moderation and Development Party
Moderation and Development Party ( fa, حزب اعتدال و توسعه, Hezb-e E'tedāl va Towse'eh) is a political party in Iran. It is a pragmatic-centrist political party which held its first congress in 2002.
Platform
The party is part of t ...
led by Hassan Rouhani.
He was nominated to head the defense ministry on 4 August 2013. He was approved by the Majlis and replaced Ahmad Vahidi
Ahmad Vahidi ( fa, احمد وحیدی, born 27 June 1958) is an Iranian military commander of the Revolutionary Guards and current Minister of Interior since August 25, 2021. In addition, he is currently member of the Expediency Discernment Cou ...
in the post. Dehghani received 269 votes in favor and 10 votes against. Former Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi
Rostam Ghasemi ( fa, رستم قاسمی; 5 May 1964 – 8 December 2022) was an Iranian military officer and conservative politician who was the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development (Iran), Minister of Roads and Urban Development from 25 Aug ...
was named as Dehghani's advisor on 22 August. On 1 August 2017, Dehghani announced that he will leave defense ministry after the end of the first Rouhani government. He currently serves as an advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنهای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...
.
He has announced he will be running in the 2021 Iranian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Iran on 18 June 2021, the thirteenth since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Ebrahim Raisi, the then Chief Justice of Iran, was declared the winner in a highly controversial election. The ...
.
Sanctions
In November 2019, Deghgan was among many Iranian officials placed under the sanctions list by the United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
due to his involvement as an IRGC commander in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings
Early on a Sunday morning, October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF), a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese ...
which alleged Hezbollah
Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...
militants killed 241 American soldiers.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dehghan, Hossein
1957 births
Living people
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps brigadier generals
Defence ministers of Iran
Iranian Vice Ministers
Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
People from Isfahan Province
University of Tehran alumni
Recipients of the Order of Courage (Iran)
Heads of Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Iran–Iraq War
Quds Force personnel
Iranian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions