Yahya Rahim Safavi

Sardar Yahya Rahim Safavi
Born	1952 (age 63–64) Isfahan, Iran
Allegiance	Iran
Service/branch	IRGC Ground Forces
Years of service	21 March 1979–present
Rank	Major General
Unit	Artillery
Commands held	2nd Artillery Brigade AGIR
Battles/wars	Iran–Iraq War War on Terrorism (2001 uprising in Herat)
Awards	Fajr Medal 2nd grade Fath Medal[1]

Yahya Rahim Safavi (Persian: یحیى رحیم صفوی ‎‎, born 1952) is an Iranian military commander who served as the chief commander of the Sepah from 1 September 1997 until 1 September 2007.

Early life

Safavi was born on 1952 to an Iranian Azeri family.^[2] in a village in Isfahan.^[3]

Career

Safavi was one of the leaders of the Iraq-Iran War. During the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, he played a key role in the uprising in Herat in November 2001, where American, Iranian and Northern Alliance troops supported a local uprising against the Taliban.

He served as the deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps until 1997 when he was appointed its commander, replacing Mohsen Rezaee in 1997.^[4]

He was replaced as commander of the IRGC by Mohammad Ali Jafari, former director of the Strategic Studies Center of AGIR on 1 September 2007.^[5] Then he was appointed the Supreme Leader Ali Khameini's special advisor.^[6]

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.^[7]

References

1. Poursafa, Mahdi (January 20, 2014). گزارش فارس از تاریخچه نشان‌های نظامی ایران، از «اقدس» تا «فتح»؛ مدال‌هایی که بر سینه سرداران ایرانی نشسته است [From "Aghdas" to "Fath": Medals resting on the chest of Iranian Serdars]. Fars News (in Persian). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
2. Charles Raymond Snow (2008). The Case Against Iran. Trafford Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781425175962.
3. Nahost-Informationsdienst. Deutsches Orient-Institut. 1997. p. 56. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
4. Rubin, Michael (Fall 2008). "Iran's Revolutionary Guards - A Rogue Outfit?". Middle East Quarterly. XV (4): 37–48. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
5. Sepehri, Vahid (4 September 2007). "Iran: New Commander Takes over Revolutionary Guards". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
6. Frederic Wehrey; Jerrold D. Green; Brian Nichiporuk; Alireza Nader; Lydia Hansell; Rasool Nafisi; S. R. Bohandy (2009). "The Rise of the Pasdaran" (PDF). RAND Corporation. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
7. "Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran for failure to halt uranium enrichment, unanimously adopting Resolution 1737". United Nations.

External links

• Yahya Safavi: Shahab 3 Missile with Cluster Warhead Can Destroy Aircraft Carriers. Israel within Range of our Missiles