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Mohsen Rezaee ( fa, محسن رضایی, born Sabzevar Rezaee Mirgha'ed ( fa, سبزوار رضایی میرقائد) on 1 September 1954) is an Iranian
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
politician affiliated with the
Resistance Front of Islamic Iran The Islamic Iran Resistance Front or Resistance Front of Islamic Iran ( fa, جبهه ایستادگی ایران اسلامی, Jebhe-ye Istâdegi-ye Irân-e Islâmi), or simply Resistance Front, also translated Endurance Front, is an Iranian prin ...
and senior military officer in the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
, who currently holds office as the
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 ...
for Economic Affairs, member of the
Expediency Discernment Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( fa, مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام ''Majma'-e Taškhīs-e Maslahat-e Nezām'') is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Co ...
, secretary of the , as well as the secretary of the Iranian government's Economic Committee. He was secretary of the
Expediency Discernment Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( fa, مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام ''Majma'-e Taškhīs-e Maslahat-e Nezām'') is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Co ...
from 1997 to 2021. From 1980 to 1997, Rezaee was commander-in-chief of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
. Before the
Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, Rezaee was a member of the Islamist guerilla rebel group ''Mansouroun'' and joined the
Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization ( fa, سازمان مجاهدین انقلاب اسلامی, Sāzmān-e Mojāhedin-e Enqelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Holy Warriors of the Islamic Revolution) was an umbrella political organization in Iran ...
following the revolution. Dubbed a "
perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...
", Rezaee ran as a conservative presidential candidate in the
2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...
, coming third with 1.7 percent of the vote, behind winner
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),
and reformist runner-up
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh ( fa, میرحسین موسوی خامنه, Mīr-Hoseyn Mūsavī Khāmené, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the forty-ninth and last Prime Minister of Ira ...
. He was also a candidate in 2013 presidential election and received 3,884,412 votes. He ranked fourth behind winner
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. ...
, runner-up
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf 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 off ...
and
Saeed Jalili Saeed Jalili ( fa, سعید جلیلی; born 1 September 1965) is an Iranian conservative politician and diplomat who was secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013. He is currently member of the Expediency Discernment ...
. In the 2021 election, Rezaee was the runner-up to winner
Ebrahim Raisi Sayyid Ebrahim Raisolsadati ( fa, سید ابراهیم رئیس‌الساداتی; born 14 December 1960), commonly known as Ebrahim Raisi ( fa, ابراهیم رئیسی ), is an Iranian principlist politician, Muslim jurist, and the eight ...
who came victorious from the first round, garnering 3,4 million votes or slightly lower than his 2013 tally.


Early life and education

Rezaee was born in
Masjed Soleyman Masjed Soleyman ( fa, مسجدسلیمان, also Romanized as Masjedsoleimān, Masjed-e Soleymān, Masjed Soleiman, and Masjid-i-Sulaiman) is a city and capital of Masjed Soleyman County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its populati ...
on 9 September 1954 to a religious Bakhtiyari nomadic family. He spent his childhood and adolescence in the oil-rich city of
Masjed Soleyman Masjed Soleyman ( fa, مسجدسلیمان, also Romanized as Masjedsoleimān, Masjed-e Soleymān, Masjed Soleiman, and Masjid-i-Sulaiman) is a city and capital of Masjed Soleyman County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its populati ...
(Irsoleymān) in southwestern Iran. Along with his close friends, he established the "Religion and Science Association". When he was to begin studying at a school run by
National Iranian Oil Company The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC; fa, شرکت ملّی نفت ایران, Sherkat-e Melli-ye Naft-e Īrān) is a government-owned national oil and natural gas producer and distributor under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum of Ir ...
(NIOC) in 1969, Rezaee moved to the city of
Ahvaz Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...
. At high school, he started his political and cultural struggle against the
Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
's regime. In the last year of high school, he was arrested by the Shah Security service
SAVAK SAVAK ( fa, ساواک, abbreviation for ''Sâzemân-e Ettelâ'ât va Amniat-e Kešvar'', ) was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service in Iran during the reign of the Pahlavi dynasty. SAVAK operated from 1957 until prime ...
in Ahvaz, and interrogated. He was 17 when he served five months in solitary confinement. He did not stop his political activities after he was released from prison. Rezaee arrived in
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 ...
in 1974 to study
mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
at
Iran University of Science and Technology Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) ( fa, دانشگاه علم و صنعت ایران, ''Danushgah-e 'lâm vâ Sân't-e Iran'') is a research institution and university of engineering and science in Iran. The university is home to ...
. He studied and worked at the same time. SAVAK intensified its crackdown on guerrilla groups to which he was a member. He had to abandon the university. He launched provincial branches of Mansouroun guerrilla fighters in seven provinces. When
Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
returned home from exile, the Mansouroun group was tasked with protecting the revolutionary leader. After the
1979 Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, seven armed Muslim groups teamed up and established the Islamic Revolution Mujahideen Organization to safeguard the nascent Islamic Revolution. Although he studied mechanical engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Rezaee switched to economics after the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
, studying at
Tehran University 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 ...
and received his PhD in 2001.


Career

Rezaee joined the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
(IRGC) and later was appointed chief of its intelligence division. He was appointed as the IRGC commander by
Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
, and after it grew in organizational complexity he assumed the office of IRGC's commander-in-chief on 11 September 1981, when he was 27 years old, and remained in the post until he announced his retirement from all of his military posts. He actively participated in the
Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
. In 1986, he was named member of the Supreme Defense Council. Rezaee was removed from the IRGC in 1997 due to pressures from the followers of the then president
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 ...
. Another reason for his dismissal was his failure to respond to the perceived threat of attack from the US. He was replaced by
Yahya 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 ...
. He became a member of
Expediency Discernment Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( fa, مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام ''Majma'-e Taškhīs-e Maslahat-e Nezām'') is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Co ...
and then, its secretary in August 1997. He was also appointed chair of the commission for macroeconomics and commerce. In addition, he is a reviewer of Iran's 2025 versions development. Rezaee founded the news website
Tabnak 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 ...
, originally Baztab, in 2002 as a reaction to proliferation of reformist websites. He also co-founded
Imam Hossein University The Imam Hossein Comprehensive University (also referred to as IHU or Imam Hossein University, fa, دانشگاه امام حسین, ''Dāneshgāh-e Emām Hosein'') is a public university located in Tehran, Iran. The university was opened in 19 ...
and teaches there. It is reported that he returned to IRGC in 2015.


Presidential campaigns

Rezaee was a candidate of the presidential election of 2005, but withdrew on 15 June 2005, only two days before the election. Rezaee mentioned he was withdrawing from the race for "the integration of the votes of the nation" and "their effectiveness". He did not endorse any candidate. On 23 April 2009, he announced that he entered the 2009 presidential race, after trying to find another conservative to run against President Ahmadinejad which he lost. He was also a candidate in the 2013 election. Rezaee announced his run for presidency in October 2012. On 12 December 2016, Rezaee announced that he "has no decision to run for president" in 2017 election. However, in February 2017 he told press that if asked by the Popular Front of Islamic Revolutionary Forces to stand, he "will think about it".


Views

In 1988, Rezaee sent a letter to Ayatollah Khomeini in which he argued that the Iran–Iraq War could not be won. In the run-up to the 2009 Iranian elections, Rezaee criticized opposing candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's public comments questioning
the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
as "not useful" for Iran's international standing. Rezaee stated on 2 August 2009 that the ongoing trials of so-called 'prisoners' was an unjust act, issuing a letter on behalf of the
Expediency Council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( fa, مجمع تشخیص مصلحت نظام ''Majma'-e Taškhīs-e Maslahat-e Nezām'') is an administrative assembly appointed by the Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Co ...
of which he is the secretary, condemning the government. In September 2019, Rezaee expressed his hope that Iran would capture US President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and place him on trial.


Controversy

A clash and the disagreement over strategy to be adopted in the Iran-Iraq war emerged between Ali Sayed Shirazi, commander of land forces, and Rezaee in July 1986. When this rivalry became public,
Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
met them in his residence on 19 July 1986 and urged them to "seek unity", telling them "You must endeavor, not to think in terms of being members of the Armed Forces or those of the Guards Corps or of the Basij forces. ... We must understand that if there were to be any disputes among you ... not only are we doomed here and now, but we also are guilty before God." In November 2006, Argentine Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral issued international arrest warrants for Rezaee, six other Iranians, and one Lebanese in connection with the
AMIA bombing The AMIA bombing occurred on 18 July 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and targeted the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA; ), a Jewish Community Centre. Executed as a suicidal attack, a bomb-laden van was driven into the AMIA buildi ...
, the attacks on 18 July 1994, a suicide bombing of the Jewish cultural center (AMIA) in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Argentina, which resulted in the deaths of 85 people and serious injuries to 151.Stephens, Brett, "Iran's al Qaeda", Stephens' "Global View" column, editorial pages, ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', 16 October 2007; p. A20
The attack on the Jewish cultural center came two years after the 1992 terrorist bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. In 1998, Rezaee's son, Ahmad, defected to the United States, where he told officials that the attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was planned in
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 ...
. The son told U.S. authorities that he had accompanied his father to Lebanon to witness the training. Ahmad Rezaee returned to Iran after a short time and declared that his statements about his father's involvement in the bombing were baseless. Mohsen Rezaee has been on the official Wanted list of
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
since March 2007, for allegations of "Aggravated Murder and Damages" related to the 1994 AMIA bombing case. Rezaee rejected the allegations, saying in June 2009 "These charges were a sheer lie".


Electoral history


Personal life

Rezaee married in 1974. He has five children, two sons and three daughters. His eldest son,
Ahmad Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...
, migrated to the United States in 1998 and sought political asylum. Ahmad spoke against the policies of the Iranian Islamic government, and accused his father and others of supporting terrorist acts. He returned to Iran in 2005, recanting his statements, then migrated to the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
in 2011. On 13 November 2011, his body was found in a hotel in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
. It was reported that he was killed by a hotel servant, but the Dubai Police stated that he had died after taking a large quantity of
antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...
s.Ahmad Rezaee, son of the Mohsen Rezaee was killed in Dubai
''Tabnak''
His brother, Omidvar, is a member of the
Parliament of Iran The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The Pa ...
since 2008.


Works

* ''Iran at future horizon'' * ''Fath's orders'' * ''Iran and Middle East'' * ''Look of the Sun'' * ''I want to die like a cloud'' * ''186 Pilgrim notes'' * ''Regional Iran'' * ''Answer to some questions about War'' * ''Establishment of Badr's Sepah'' * ''Explanation of trade flows on industrial productivity in Iran'' * ''Rights of the accused in the court system'' * ''Hidden Hands'' * ''The third face of economic jihad'' * ''Ahmad Kazemi's biography'' * ''Model for cultural policy and planning'' * ''Who was Ebrahim Hemat?'' * ''The second wave of the Revolution'' * ''Economic Federalism'' * ''Monetary theory, and general equilibrium Atyar''


See also

*
List of Iranian two-star generals since 1979 There are currently 12 two-star officers in the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran: four with the regular army (''Artesh'') background, seven who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and one with both backgrounds. Although t ...
*
List of Iranian commanders in the Iran–Iraq War This is a list of commanders of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88). Leaders ;Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces * Abolhassan Banisadr (''Start of War'' – 10 June 1981) * Ruholl ...


References

* Iran Human Rights Documentation Center.
Violent Aftermath: The 2009 Election and Suppression of Dissent in Iran
. Feb. 2010, New Haven, CT. p. 5


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rezaee, Mohsen 1954 births Living people Iran University of Science and Technology alumni Imam Hossein University faculty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps major generals Staff of Imam Hossein University Candidates for President of Iran People from Khuzestan Province Members of the Expediency Discernment Council Bakhtiari people People from Masjed Soleyman Recipients of the Order of Fath Resistance Front of Islamic Iran politicians Iranian news website owners (people) Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization politicians Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces politicians Spiritual leaders of political parties in Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Iran–Iraq War Iranian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions Vice presidents of Iran for Economic Affairs