Iraj Masjedi

Sardar
Iraj Masjedi
Ambassador of Iran to Iraq
In office
18 April 2017 – 11 April 2022
PresidentHassan Rouhani
Ebrahim Raisi
Preceded byHassan Danaeifar
Succeeded byMohammad-Kazem Ale-Sadegh
Personal details
Born1956 or 1957 (age 67–68)[1]
Khuzestan, Iran[2]
Military service
AllegianceIran
Branch/serviceRevolutionary Guards
Years of service1982–2017
RankBrigadier general[3]
UnitQuds Force[3]
CommandsQuds Base[3]
Ramazan Base[2]
Battles/wars

Iraj Masjedi (Persian: ایرج مسجدی) was the former Iranian ambassador to Iraq, having previously served in the Revolutionary Guards for 35 years.[4] A veteran of Iran–Iraq War, Masjedi was a senior Quds Force commander and served as a top advisor to Qasem Soleimani.[4] He was designated as the ambassador to Iraq in January 2017[5] and assumed office in April 2017.[4] On October 22, 2020, the U.S. designated Masjedi under Executive Order 13224, imposing sanctions on him “for acting for or on behalf of the IRGC-QF.“[6]

  1. ^ "'Moderate deal-broker' to run Iran's embassy in Baghdad". Rudaw. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ahmad Majidyar (8 March 2017), "Tehran's Controversial Ambassador Pick Sign of I.R.G.C.'s Expanding Influence in Iraq", Middle East Institute, retrieved 5 September 2017
  3. ^ a b c d Ali Alfoneh (29 March 2012). "Generational change in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force: Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi". Middle Eastern Outlook. Retrieved 11 June 2017 – via American Enterprise Institute.
  4. ^ a b c Babak Dehghanpisheh (19 April 2017). Hugh Lawson (ed.). "Revolutionary Guard general takes over as new Iranian ambassador in Iraq". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  5. ^ Farzin Nadimi (18 January 2017). "Iran Appoints Seasoned Qods Force Operative as Ambassador to Iraq" (Policy Analysis). Reuters. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Iranian Ambassador to Iraq". treasury.gov. 2020-10-22.