Ahmad Vahidi
| Ahmad Vahidi | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Defence | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office August 9, 2009 |
|
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Preceded by | Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar |
| Deputy Minister of Defence | |
| In office August 9, 2005 – August 9, 2009 |
|
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Preceded by | Ali Reza Asghari |
| Succeeded by | Asadollah Emami |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 June 1947 Shiraz, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Religion | Shia Islam |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution |
| Years of service | 1980–[1] |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Quds Force[2] |
Ahmad Vahidi (Persian: احمد وحیدی, born 28 June 1947) is an Iranian politician and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards.[1] He is the current Minister of Defense of Iran, having held the post since August 9, 2009.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
He was born on June 28, 1947, in Mashhad. 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 was born in Shiraz.
[edit] Controversies
He is wanted by Interpol for his alleged participation in the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 18, 1994, in which 85 people died. He is one of five Iranians sought in the bombing.[3] Iran denies that it was involved.[4]
In June 2011 Bolivia apologized to Argentina for Ahmad Vahidi visiting the country, and announced that he would be leaving Bolivia immediately.[5]
[edit] Political career
Vahidi was appointed as Deputy Minister of Defense in 2005 after Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar became Minister of Defense. He was in office until 2009. In August 2009 he was designated Minister of Defense by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and on August 9, 2009, the Majlis endorsed Vahidi as Minister of Defense with vote of 227 of 56.[6] He received 79.3% of the votes of the Member of Parliaments.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Iran defense minister a terror suspect". The Washington Times. 2009-08-21. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/21/iranian-defense-minister-terrorist/print/. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ "Behind the Headlines: Iran's terrorist defense minister". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2009-08-23. https://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/Behind+the+Headlines/Iran_terrorist_defense_minister_23-Aug-2009.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
- ^ http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/international/news/20111014p2g00m0in052000c.html
- ^ http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2029131&Language=en
- ^ "Bolivia apologizes to Argentina for Iran minister visit". BBC news. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13612569.html. Retrieved 01 June 2011.
- ^ "Majlis endorses 18 minifsters, one woman". Press TV. 2009-09-03. http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=105187§ionid=351020101. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar |
Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics 2009–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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