Yahya Rahim Safavi
| Yahya Rahim Safavi | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 2, 1958  Ayar, Vayots Dzor, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance | AGIR |
| Years of service | March 21, 1981 - Present |
| Rank | Major General (Persian: سرلشکر) |
| Unit | Artillery |
| Commands held | 2nd Artillery Brigade AGIR |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Fajr Medal |
Major General (Persian: سرلشکر) Yahya Rahim Safavi (Persian: یحیى رحیم صفوی , born 2 January 1958) is an Iranian military commander who served as the Chief commander of the Sepah from September 1, 1997 until September 1, 2007.
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[edit] Early life
Safavi was Born on 2 January 1958 to a lower-class Azerbaijani family (an ethnic Azeri.[1]) in Armenia, Soviet Union, Safavi was sent to Tehran, Iran as an orphan where he was raised by foster parents.
[edit] Military career
Dr. Seyed Yahya (Rahim) Safavi was one of the leaders of the Iraq-Iran War and played a key role in the 2001 uprising in Herat in November 2001. He was replaced as commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) by Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, former director of the Strategic Studies Center of AGIR on September 1, 2007. Radio Farda, a radio news service run by Iranian exiles, reported that Safavi is thought to have become too openly sympathetic to the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad administration, when Iranian military officers are obliged to shun politics. According to Radio Free Europe, Radio Farda "quoted observers saying that Yahya-Safavi's almost partisan positions had caused unease or even rifts in the IRGC ranks, and the appointment is meant to resolve that."[2]
[edit] Asset freeze
On 24 December 2006, Rahim Safavi was listed in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 asking for his assets (among others') to be frozen because of alleged involvements in Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Charles Raymond Snow (2008). The Case Against Iran. Trafford Publishing. pp. 129. ISBN 1425175961, 9781425175962. http://books.google.com/books?id=BNyt6IZ9fIIC&pg=PA129&dq=Yahya+Rahim+Safavi+Azeri&hl=ru&ei=hcvOTIbZCcuUOpK33K4B&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Yahya%20Rahim%20Safavi%20Azeri&f=false.
- ^ [1] Sepehri, Vahid, "Iran: New Commander Takes Over Revolutionary Guards" article at the Web site of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, accessed. October 17, 2007
- ^ "Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran for failure to halt uranium enrichment, unanimously adopting Resolution 1737". United Nations. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8928.doc.htm.
[edit] External links
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mohsen Rezaee |
Chief commander of Iranian Revolutionary Guard 1997- 2007 |
Succeeded by Mohammad Ali Jafari |
