Yahya Rahim Safavi
Iranian military commander
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Yahya "Rahim" Safavi (Persian: یحیی «رحیم» صفوی, born 1952) is an Iranian military commander who served as the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[1][2] Currently, Safavi is serving as a senior military advisor to the leader of the Islamic revolution. Additionally, he has assumed the role of head of Defense and Security Commission within the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations.[3]
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Yahya Safavi | |
|---|---|
یحیی صفوی | |
Safavi in 2018 | |
| Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | |
| In office 19 September 1997 – 10 September 2007 | |
| President | Mohammad Khatami Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Supreme Leader | Ali Khamenei |
| Preceded by | Mohsen Rezaee |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Ali Jafari |
| Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | |
| In office 24 September 1989 – 10 September 1997 | |
| President | Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Mohammad Khatami |
| Supreme Leader | Ali Khamenei |
| Preceded by | Ali Shamkhani |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr |
| Commander of the IRGC Ground Forces | |
| In office 17 September 1985 – 24 September 1989 | |
| President | Ali Khamenei |
| Prime Minister | Mir-Hossein Mousavi |
| Supreme Leader | Ruhollah Khomeini Ali Khamenei |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Mostafa Izadi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1952 (age 73–74) |
| Awards | .svg){kind=small} Fath grade 1 Fath grade 1.svg){kind=small} Fath grade 2 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Iran |
| Branch/service |  IRGC |
| Years of service | 1979–present |
| Rank |  Major general |
| Battles/wars | |
Early life
Career
Safavi was one of the leaders of the Iran–Iraq War.[5] 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 Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps until 1997 when he was appointed its commander, replacing Mohsen Rezaee in 1997.[6]
He was replaced as commander of the IRGC by Mohammad Ali Jafari, former director of the Strategic Studies Center of the IRGC on 1 September 2007.[7] Then he was appointed by the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei as his special military advisor.[8]
Political views
Safavi is a leading advocate of the so-called "Axis of Resistance", which includes Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.[9] He argued that this network has already dealt strategic blows to Israel and has the potential to reshape the region's geopolitical future. According to Safavi, Israel has been "defeated by the Resistance," and he emphasizes that the liberation of Palestine will only be achieved through persistent armed struggle.[10][11]
On Apr 7, 2024, Safavi opined that Hamas is an idea and an ideal that cannot be destroyed.[12] During his speech at the 6th International Conference of Solidarity with Palestinian Youth, Safavi praised Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, describing it as a "glorious" operation.[13][14]
Asset freeze
On 24 December 2006, Rahim Safavi was included on a list of Iranian individuals and organizations sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 due to their alleged involvement in the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.[15]
