Ahmad Vahidi
| Ahmad Vahidi | |
|---|---|
| Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 September 2009 |
|
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Preceded by | Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar |
| Deputy Minister of Defence | |
| In office 9 August 2005 – 9 August 2009 |
|
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Preceded by | Ali Reza Asghari |
| Succeeded by | Asadollah Emami |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1958 (age 54–55) Shiraz, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution |
| Years of service | 1980–? |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | Quds Force[1] |
Ahmad Vahidi (Persian: احمد وحیدی, born 1958) is an Iranian politician and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards.[2] He is the current minister of defense of Iran, having held the post since 3 September 2009.
Contents |
Early life and education [edit]
Vahidi was born in 1958 in Shiraz.[3] In 1980, he joined the Quds Force, a unit of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution that responsible for operations outside of Iran. His real name is Ahmad Shah Cheraghi (his nickname is Vahid).[citation needed] He received a PhD in strategic studies from Imam Sadegh University.[3]
Political career [edit]
Vahidi was appointed deputy minister of defense in 2005 after Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar became minister of defense.[3] He was in office until 2009. In August 2009, he was appointed minister of defense by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and on 3 September 2009, the Majlis endorsed Vahidi as minister of defense with vote of 227 of 286.[4] He received 79.3% of the votes of the members of the parliament.
Controversies [edit]
Vahidi is wanted by Interpol for his alleged participation in the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 18 July 1994, in which 85 people died.[5][6] Vahidi was serving as the commander of a special unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard known as the Quds Force when the attack occurred.[5] He is one of five Iranians sought in the bombing. Iran denies that it was involved.[7]
In June 2010, Vahidi was blacklisted by the U.S Government, a measure which is aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters thereby isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems.[8]
In June 2011, Bolivia apologized to Argentina for Ahmad Vahidi visiting the country, and announced that he would be leaving Bolivia immediately.[9]
References [edit]
- ^ "Behind the Headlines: Iran's terrorist defense minister". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 23 August 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
- ^ "Iran defense minister a terror suspect". The Washington Times. 21 August 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
- ^ a b c "A Brief Biography of Iran's New Ministers". Payvand. 7 September 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ^ "Majlis endorses 18 ministers, one woman". Press TV. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ a b "Iran Parliament Approves Minister Wanted in Deadly Jewish Center Bombing". Fox News. AP. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Argentina: More international arrest warrants issued for 1994 Jewish center bombimg". South American Political and Economic Affairs. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
- ^ "Iran rejects as "baseless" Argentina's accusation it was involved in bombing". KUNA. 3 October 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Treasury Department Targets Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Programs". US Treasury Department. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Bolivia apologizes to Argentina for Iran minister visit". BBC news. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar |
Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics 2009 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
