Dr. Tehran-Mansour Askari was a dedicated scientist whose lectures began with Hafez’s lyrical wisdom, and whose prayers came before secular duties, lived a life defined by knowledge, faith and sacrifice. He was a paragon of integrity and intelligence, and a martial artist who gave his life to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Born in Tehran on June 3, 1958, Askari completed her education in mathematics and physics at the prestigious Alboz High School. He presented an extraordinary IQ and stood out from his childhood. He pursued higher education in nuclear physics at Shiraz University and graduated from the highest honors along with Dr. Masoud Alimohammadi, Dr. Martyr.
During the victory of the Islamic Revolution, which shut down Iranian universities and the Cultural Revolution, Asparis took on national service as head of the seven-member committee of Shiraz’s Kamiluz. He later joined the frontline during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war and gained a distinction as one of his pioneering defenders.
After the war, despite offers from major institutions such as Shiraz and the University of Tehran, Askari chose to join the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) in 1984, driven by unwavering loyalty. He received his PhD from Amilcavill University in Nuclear Engineering, focusing on gamma ray radiation shielding in medical applications. This is the project he entered into industrial production.
As a founding faculty member of Imam Hossein University, along with martial artists Feredun Abbasi and Mohsen Faklizadeh, Askari founded the Faculty of Physics, where he taught advanced courses in quantum mechanics, analytical mechanics, and electromagnetic theory. He also led the university’s Center for the Philosophy of Natural Sciences.
Assari, together with Abbasi and Fakriza, founded the Institute of Applied Physics, the predecessor of Iran’s Defense Innovation Research Institute (SEPAND). Among many projects, he directed work on radiation shields, mixed neutron fields, and elastomers.
Asparia played an important role in Iran’s nuclear development, co-founded with Iran’s nuclear association and martialists Majid Shariari and Abbasi to promote nuclear science across the country. He worked with Alimohammadi in creating a thermoluminescence detector (TLD), a major achievement in nuclear radiation detection.
He also partnered with Shariari on the design of nuclear level meters used to measure liquid levels in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. Technology has helped to fully produce within Iran.
Fluent in English, Russian and French, Askari has studied Chinese and Hebrew, mentored countless graduates and doctoral students, and published shocking articles in the finest magazines. His work in nuclear diffraction and shielding was particularly prolific.
Despite his academic height, Askari was a humble leader. His eloquence and character attracted much to his lectures, even informally. A man of discipline and commitment, he fasted regularly on Mondays, Thursdays and on the sacred months. He is also known to say, “Don’t pray that you are busy with work. Please say it’s time to pray for work.”
Passionate about poetry, he remembered many poets of Hafez, Saadi, and modern poets, and often shared them with his students. Sports also played a role in his balanced lifestyle. He was a skilled football forward known for his strategic mind on the field.
Askari’s accuracy, creativity and resilience have made him a go-to person to unlock Sepand’s deadlock. As a defence ministry representative for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, he helped navigate complex diplomatic challenges in nuclear policy through unparalleled strategic insights.
His personal life was characterized by love and loss. He had two daughters and two grandchildren. On June 12, 2025, in a heinous attack by the Zionist regime, his wife, retired biology teacher Masoumeh Yousefi, was given honorifics to their homes by her daughter, Dr. Marzieh Askari, a newborn specialist, and his granddaughter, Zahra Barzegar.
(Source: Mehr News Agency)