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Ahmad Vahidi

Ahmed Vahidi, who was in the 13th government as the Minister of Interior, previously worked as the Minister of Defense and Support of the Armed Forces in the 10th government, he was the first commander of the Quds Force and is one of the real members of the Expediency Council.

(Ahmed Shahcheraghi) was born in Shiraz on July 6, 1337. Vahidi completed his bachelor's degree in electronics, and has a master's degree in industry and a doctorate in strategic sciences, and is the president of the National Defense University.

Vahidi is a full member of the Expediency Recognition Council and is the president of the National Defense University. He was elected to the position of Minister of Interior on the 3rd of Shahrivar, 1400, by the vote of the representatives. President of the National Defense University, Ph.D., Strategic Studies, Master's Degree, Strategic Studies, Electronic Engineering, Executive Records, Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Support, Quds Force Command, Vice President of Plans, Programs, and International Affairs. He was the Minister of Defense in the second government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He was Deputy Minister of Defense, Head of the Political Commission, Defense and Security Expediency Council, Chairman of the Political, Defense and Security Working Group in the Development of the Fifth Development Plan, Chairman of the Defense-Security Commission, Strategic Council of Foreign Relations, Commander of the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran-Iraq War. And 35 years after his arrest due to possible shortcoming in the position of "military governor" of Kermanshah, is now the interior minister of the IRGC in Iran,

Ahmad Vahidi, as the commander of the Quds Force at the time, along with the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, is on the Interpol list due to the explosion of the Jewish center in Argentina, and during his command period, many developments took place, including the "McFarlane" incident, i.e., the presence of the American national security adviser in Tehran with the aim of dealing with In the Islamic Republic, the hostage-taking and release of Western citizens took place in Lebanon and the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but unlike Qasem Soleimani, the government and its propaganda apparatus did not make him a legendary figure.

Unlike Qassem Soleimani, whose propaganda was focused on him, Vahidi has always been active in secret. Information about his personal life is rarely published and it is interesting that some of his siblings live in America and Canada and commute to Iran. Ahmed Vahidi is now carrying out one of his most important missions for the Islamic Republic, and as the head of the country's security council, he is in charge of suppressing protests.

His original surname was Shahcheraghi, and he was a religious youth who opposed the government in this city. "Alireza Alavitabar", who has been writing articles in the reformist media for years, said that his hangout was Al-Rezai Ali Asghar Dastghaib Mosque. According to him, after the revolution, Vahidi was from the right wing of the Mojahedin Organization of the Islamic Revolution and his activities were mostly in Tehran and he was not very active in Shiraz. However, the left movement of the Mojahedin Organization of the Islamic Revolution rarely spoke about him and their attacks were mostly directed at "Mohammad Baqir Zul Qadr" and "Hossein Nejat". Some political activists have said that Vahidi was connected with the Mansurun group . A group in which "Mohsen Rezaei", "Ali Shamkhani" and Mohammad Baqer Zulqader were also members. This familiarity has probably facilitated his presence in high positions in the Corps.

In the 1960s, Vahidi was the commander of a unit called IRGC intelligence and foreign special operations. A collection in which reports mention him as the commander of the Quds Force. Along with "Mohsen Kangarlu" and "Feridon Verdinejad", he was involved in the story of McFarlane's arrival in Iran and, according to reports, he negotiated with the American delegation along with "Mohammed Ali Hadi".

After the Mojahedin-e-Khalq attack in Operation Farugh Javidan, Ahmad Vahidi was appointed as the military governor of Kermanshah. Some time after this attack, he was arrested by "Ali Razini". "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani" wrote in his memoirs that Vahidi's arrest angered the IRGC commanders. Razini said that Vahidi's arrest was due to disputes regarding the documents obtained from the People's Mojahedin, and the Ministry of Information believed that these documents should be provided to this institution, but other institutions refused to hand them over.

Razini said that he did not arrest Vahidi and locked him in his room and "discussed with him to convince him to hand over the documents." Razini also said that Vahidi's arrest was not about "the problem of handing over Shahsundi, because the number of people who were arrested was not large and they were also executed by the judicial system."

Saeed Shahsundi, one of the senior members of the People's Mojahedin Organization, who separated from this organization but participated in "Operation Forough Javidan", was injured and arrested after a few days. He said that the agents of the Islamic Republic planned to kill him, but their commander recognized him and stopped him. There are different narratives about who this commander was, some state media have quoted one of the people present in this operation as saying that this commander is Ahmad Vahidi, but it is not clear how authentic these narratives are.

After the war, Ahmad Vahidi was the commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC and one of the issues that happened during this period was the release of the French and American hostages.

Vahidi played an effective role in the establishment of the Ministry of Intelligence and is one of the senior managers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose responsibilities include commanding the Quds Force between 1367 and 1376 as the first commander of this organization. During the time of Admiral Ali Shamkhani, he worked as the deputy of the plan and program of the Ministry of Defense, and during the ministry of Sardar Najjar as the Minister of Defense and Support in the ninth government, Vahidi was appointed as his successor.

During the command period of Yahya Rahim Safavi, Qassem Soleimani was appointed as the commander of IRGC's Quds Force, and this force was brought up more openly in the public space, and before that, Vahidi's name and this institution were rarely mentioned. After commanding the Quds Force during the periods of Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad Mustafa Najjar in the Ministry of Defense, Vahidi worked for a while in the Expediency Recognition Council until he was appointed to this position as the second Minister of Military Interior in the history of the Islamic Republic. Before the Ahmadinejad government, the ministers of the interior were usually chosen from among the clerics, and among them, only Ali Mohammad Besharti was an exception in the second government of "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Mustafa Najjar, the interior minister of the Ahmadinejad government, was also one of the commanders of the IRGC, but he did not have a unique position in the IRGC. Also, despite the appointment of Najjar as the Minister of Interior, the governors were elected as before.

Sardar Ahmad Vahidi was present in the ninth government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the representative of the armed forces in the preparation of the fifth development plan of the country, and in 1388 he received a vote of confidence from the parliament as the minister of defense and support in the tenth government. He also worked as the head of the Political, Defense and Security Commission of the Expediency Recognition Assembly and the deputy head of the plan and program of the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Support.

After Seyyed Ibrahim Raeesi was elected as the 13th president, Wahidi was introduced to the parliament as the minister of interior, and he was able to get a vote of confidence from the parliament members in September 1400. By decree September 20, 1400 of the president Ayatollah Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, Ahmed Vahidi was appointed as "Chairman of the National Security Council. "It is hoped that the National Security Council, as a powerful arm of the Supreme National Security Council, by coordinating and using all the capacities of the relevant institutions, while planning, making necessary decisions and continuous follow-up, can take effective steps in order to maintain and improve the security issue inside the country."

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Khatami's parliamentary deputy, also considered the selection of military governors in line with the security perspective after the protests of December 2016 and November 2018. Saeed Hajjarian, one of the founders of the Ministry of Information, also said: "Look at the composition of the governors!" Most of them are military; As if they are preparing for conflict, to face unexpected events. They are waiting for news."

The correctness of these analyzes was determined after protests and the prominent role of the Ministry of Interior in suppressing the protests. During this period, the National Security Council had a stronger role in suppressing protests than in the past, and according to some reports, Vahidi manages the suppression. The position that was previously held by the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. The involvement of the Ministry of Interior in suppressing the protests and the subsequent events was to such an extent that in a rare incident, this ministry also issued a statement about the dismissal of professors.

According to Ali Khamenei's authority as the Commander-in-Chief, Ahmad Vahidi is the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Police Force, and Khamenei has delegated his powers to him. This means that Vahidi is practically in control of the armed police forces, whose special unit has played an undeniable role in suppressing the bloody protests of Shahrivar 1401 onwards. As the head of the country's security council, he tried to create numerous restrictions for women, fired university professors, cut off the Internet, and carried out a wide range of violent and deadly acts of violence and repression, so that he was one of the main factors and the key commander of repression and violence in one year. recently in Iran.

Minister of the Interior of the 13th government: The leader of the revolution said that we should all believe that the success of Medzikian is the victory of all of us; We wish him success with all our heart. In a meeting with governors across the country, Minister of Interior Ahmad Vahidi stated that we pray for the success of the elected president and emphasized: The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution also said that we should all help the elected president in fulfilling his duties and believe from the bottom of our hearts that his success is victory. all of us Therefore, we wish the success of Medzikian.

In a meeting with governors from all over the country, which was hosted by Khorasan Razavi Governorate in the meeting hall of General Martyr Lieutenant General Haj Qassem Soleimani, Minister of Interior Ahmad Vahidi said while honoring the memory of the martyred president and the martyrs of the service: Martyr Ayatollah Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi is indeed a new face of They drew the position of the presidency. Honoring the memory of Martyr Malik Rahmati Governor, he added: Martyrs enlighten our community and we ask for their intercession. Based on this, it should be said that while the 13th government was coming to an end, a spiritual spirit along with honoring the memory of the martyrs of service is ruling over various spaces.

Appreciating the efforts of the governors across the country, the Minister of the Interior expressed: Like the martyred president who served the revolution and the people day and night, the governors also put in a lot of effort and many achievements were made in the country from this continuous effort. Referring to the Supreme Leader's statements addressed to the members of the 13th government, Vahidi noted: The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the 13th government was one of the governments that used the country's capacities well, and if this government continued, I would most likely solve many economic problems. This speech of his was very important according to His Highness.

He stated that we pray for the success of the elected president and emphasized: The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution also said that we should all help the elected president in fulfilling his duties and believe from the bottom of our hearts that his success is the victory of all of us. The Minister of Interior continued: The success of the service was given to us by the martyr of the president, Ayatollah Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi, and we ask the pure soul of that martyr and the martyrs of the service to hold our hands in the continuation of our journey.

He still considers himself a military commander and during the IRGC commanders' meeting with Ali Khamenei, he took off his suit and sat in front of the leader of the Islamic Republic in military uniform. He has also done his work in silence and during his ministry, the most governors and military governors have been appointed.

On the sidelines of the 20-04-1403 meeting of the government delegation, Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi told reporters: I am a Guardsman and I am proud, and after the Ministry of Interior, I will return to the IRGC. He described the border security with the Iraqi side as "very good" and pointed out that a large number of people who attacked the Faraja forces during the recent elections were arrested. The military, security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are well versed and deal with insecure people, Hamza camp has recently been added to this organization and fulfills its responsibilities in the field of security.

On May 5, 1403 - April 24, 2024, Argentinas demanded the arrest of Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi. He has been accused of being involved in the bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires 30 years ago. Vahidi was then on a foreign trip. The statement of the Foreign Ministry of Argentina states that the country has asked Interpol to arrest Ahmed Vahidi. During the bombing of the Jewish center in Argentina (Amia) in 1994, 85 people were killed and 300 were injured. After the inauguration of Ibrahim Raisi's government in August 1400, Argentina described the election of Brigadier General Ahmed Vahidi as the Minister of Interior as an "insult" to the victims of the Amia bombing and the judicial system of this country.

On 25 September 2022, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issued a declaration on behalf of the Union deploring the widespread and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian security forces against nonviolent protestors, which led to high numbers of deaths and injuries. The declaration also stated that those responsible for the killing of Mahsa Amini must be held accountable and called on the Iranian authorities to ensure transparent and credible investigations to clarify the number of deaths and persons arrested, to release all non-violent protestors and to provide due process to all detainees. Furthermore, the declaration stressed that Iran’s decision to severely restrict internet access and block instant messaging platforms blatantly violates freedom of expression. Finally, the declaration stated that the Union will consider all the options at its disposal to address the killing of Mahsa Amini and the way Iranian security forces have responded to the ensuing demonstrations.

Ahmad Vahidi has been the Iranian Minister of Interior since 25 August 2021. As such, he is responsible for Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF). Since he took office, an unprecedented number of military and security officials have been appointed to provincial governorships who play key roles in coordinating crowd-control activities by police special forces, the Basij militia and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Blatant and severe human rights violations by the LEF, such as the indiscriminate shooting with live ammunition at peaceful protesters, including children, have been widely documented since protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini started in mid- September 2022. Over 70 protesters died and hundreds were seriously injured, including children. Since the beginning of the demonstrations, police forces have also arbitrarily detained numerous human rights defenders and journalists. Vahidi has also publicly advocated for a harsh approach towards persons participating in the demonstrations.

The LEF’s actions have resulted in thousands of deaths, including at least dozens of casualties in the recent demonstrations against the Morality Police. In the past, Vahidi has warned Iranian women that the government’s security forces will penalize those “breaking rules” in reference to hijab compliance. Recently, Vahidi has explicitly threatened protesters who continue to challenge the regime and has defended the brutal actions of LEF officers in suppressing ongoing protests.