TEHRAN – A funeral procession was held in Iran’s capital Tehran for Brigadier General Alireza Afshar, a senior official of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and former commander of the Basij Volunteer Forces. He died of heart complications.
Following his death, numerous military and state officials sent messages of condolence.
“The passing away of Brigadier General Alireza Afshar, a glorious general and indomitable warrior… causes great sadness,” said Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Revolutionary Guards.
“He was one of the figures at the forefront of Islamic operations against the Shah’s oppressive regime,” the commander-in-chief added.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the late General Afshar’s family, wartime comrades, Revolutionary Guards commanders and personnel, and the general public.
Revolutionary Guards spokesman Alimohammad Naini also expressed his condolences, describing the late Afshar as a “popular revolutionary figure” who was dedicated to the ideals of the Islamic revolution.
Mr. Afshar was born in Mashhad in 1951 and graduated from Aravi School in his hometown, and later earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the highly prestigious Sharif University of Technology in Tehran.
Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, he was arrested by the Shah of Iran’s Security Forces (SAVAK) for his political activities and spent four months in prison. After the revolution, he was one of the students who supported Imam Khomeini, the father of the revolution.
Afshar held a number of senior positions during and after Iraq’s war against Iran in the 1980s, including Deputy Chief of the Central Staff of the Revolutionary Guards, Spokesman of the Revolutionary Guards, and Commander of the Basij Volunteer Forces from 1989 to 1997.
From 1997 to 2000, he served as Rector of Imam Hossein University. His career also included senior positions at the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Values, and the Department of the Interior.