Ghazanfar Mohammad Asl Roknabadi (21 March 1966 – 24 September 2015) was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

diplomat, who served as the Iranian ambassador to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

from 2010 to 2014. Rokanabadi is known to have had strong ties to Lebanon's

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

. He survived many assassination attempts during his service in Lebanon.

Life and educations

Ghazanfar Rokanabadi was born on 21 March 1966 in

Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

as the first child of the family. His family consists of 4 sons and 4 daughters. Ghazanfar Roknabadi was the eldest child of the family. From his childhood, he was a man of study and worship. At the age of 12, he participated in demonstrations related to the

Iranian revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. After the victory of the Iranian revolution and then Saddam's invasion of Iran, while he was not more than 15 years old, he went to the battlefields of Iran-Iraq War eagerly to defend his homeland. At the same time, he continued his education. He served all the time until the war ended. In 1985, Roknabadi was admitted to

Imam Sadiq University The Imam Sadiq University () is an Islamic private university in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1982, the goal of the university is to combine Islamic research and modern studies, especially humanities. The university was dedicated to training pol ...

through an exam. While it was possible for him to continue his education in the famous universities of Iran, but his great desire to study in the field of religious sciences and humanities drew him to Imam Sadiq University. Attending Imam Sadiq University and study in the field of Islamic education and political science, laid the groundwork for his acquaintance with revolutionary ideas and his contact with prominent revolutionary fighters of his time, including ''Sheikh Saeed Sha'ban'', Seyyed Abbas Mousavi (former Secretary General of

). In this regard, he was offered cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran and he accepted. He completed his master's degree in political science and Islamic education at Imam Sadiq University. He then studied for a doctorate in the same field at the University of the Lebanese Community in Lebanon. He was fluent in English, Arabic and Turkish. He got married in 1989 and had three daughters named ''Zahra'' and ''Fatemeh'', ''Reyhaneh''. During the 33-day Lebanon war in August 2006, Roknabadi used motorcycle to deliver needed packages to the Lebanese people. His action was so outstanding that Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah (3rd secretary-general of Hezbollah) wrote a handwriting in appreciation and thanks to Rokanabadi and gave it to him.

Career

Roknabadi entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, and served in the following positions: * Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Ambassador to Syria * Spokesman, Iranian Gaza Reconstruction Committee * President, Committee for the Support of the Islamic Revolution in Palestine * First Secretary, Embassy of Iran, Lebanon * Head of the Middle East and Persian Gulf section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs * Ambassador to Lebanon

Surviving from the Iranian embassy bombing

On 19 November 2013 following the bombing of the Iranian embassy in Beirut by Saudi agents led by ''Majed al-Majed'', a Saudi security officer who led the

Abdullah Azzam Brigades The Abdullah Azzam Brigades (), or al-Qaeda in Lebanon, was a Sunni Islamist militant group, and al-Qaeda's branch in Lebanon. The group, which began operating in 2009, was founded by Saudi Saleh Al-Qaraawi and has networks in various countr ...

, Rokanabadi was miraculously rescued. The day after the explosion, a "acceptance and consolation" ceremony was held at the Iranian embassy, and the Lebanese president came to the Iranian embassy to offer his condolences.

Death

Following the 2015 Mina disaster on 24 September 2015, some media outlets reported that he might have been killed in the incident. For several months there was no definite information about his fate. Al-Arabiya also previously reported contradictory reports from former Iranian ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi, with some reporting his disappearance in the Mena crowd and others saying he had suffered minor injuries. Hassan Qashqavi, Deputy

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

and

Parliamentary Affairs ''Parliamentary Affairs'' is a British peer-reviewed quarterly academic journal. Founded in 1947, it focuses on the government and politics of the United Kingdom, and also covers parliamentary systems across the world. It is published by the Ox ...

of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, referring to the issues raised about the possibility of Roknabadi having been kidnapped, said in Saudi Arabia: "These issues are only speculation, but this claim can not be definitively denied or confirmed. He was finally confirmed to have died in the crush, which killed at least 2,262 people. Iranian media released footage on 29 September, showing Roknabadi's presence in Mina. The passport that showed his entrance into

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

was also released by Iranian media.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roknabadi, Ghazanfar Iranian diplomats 1966 births 2015 deaths People from Qom Lebanese University alumni Ambassadors of Iran to Lebanon Accidental deaths in Saudi Arabia