Mehdi Zeinoddin (also spelled Mahdi Zeinoddin)(; 1959–1984) was an Iranian major general in the

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

during the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

and he was the commander of the Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division. He was killed during battle with secession-seeking forces on the 18th of November 1984 on the highway from

Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...

to Sardasht.

Early life

Mahdi Zeinoddin was born in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

on the 11th of October 1959. His father owned a bookstore and he spent most of his youth selling books and helping his father around the bookstore. His mother was a

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

teacher. During his high school years, he developed political views and established close ties with Ayatollah Asadollah Madani. He opposed the regime of

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

. At this time, his family were living in

Khorramabad Khorramabad (; ) is a city in the Central District of Khorramabad County, Lorestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Situated in a scenic valley surrounded by mountains, the city lies approx ...

when his father was exiled to Saqqez due to his political activities. Here, he was expelled from the high school for refusing to join the

Rastakhiz Party The Party of Resurrection of the Iranian Nation (), or simply the Rastakhiz Party (), was Iran's sole legal political party from 2 March 1975 until 1 November 1978, founded by Mohammad Reza Shah. History Founded under the government of Pr ...

and for resisting against the

Pahlavi regime The Pahlavi dynasty () is an Iranian royal dynasty that was the last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Iranian soldier ...

. Despite this, he continued his education and earned a diploma in

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

. In 1977, he gave several university entrance exams and was accepted by

Shiraz University Shiraz University ( ''Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz'', 1979 revolution, formerly known as Pahlavi dynasty, Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی ''Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi'') is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars province, Fars, Iran, establ ...

. After a period of time, his father was banished to

Fars province Fars Province or Pars Province, also known as Persis or Farsistan (فارسستان), is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Shiraz. Pars province has an area of 122,400 km2 and is located in Iran's southwest, i ...

once again. Once again, his family were exiled to

Saqqez Saqqez (; ; ) is a city in the Central District (Saqqez County), Central District of Saqqez County, Kurdistan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Etymology The name Saqqez derives from the Scythian la ...

due to his father's political activities and thus, he was unable to continue his studies. After a while, his father was once again exiled from Saqqez to

Eqlid Eqlid (,) is a city in the Central District of Eqlid County, Fars province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Historical background During the Achaemenid empire its name was Azargarta.(source: Parto-e vahid ...

and as revolutionary activity had started, his father secretly moved to

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 ...

with his family. Along with other politically influential characters, Mahdi and his father continued their revolutionary efforts in Qom. Mahdi was accepted to a university in France, but he decided not to go after hearing that

Imam Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

was urging the youth to stay in Iran.

After the Iranian Revolution

Following 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 ...

, Zeinoddin joined the intelligence section of the IRGC and was pivotal in quelling the enemies of the Revolution in

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

and Qom. During the Iran-Iraq War, Zeinoddin went to the front lines with a group of one hundred people after passing a short military course. After a while, he was elected as the head of the intelligence section and then he became the mission director of intelligence for the IRGC in

Dezful Dezful (; pronounced ) is a city in the Central District of Dezful County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Dezful is one of the oldest cities in the Khuzestan province. According to ...

and

Susangerd Susangerd () is a city in the Central District (Dasht-e Azadegan County), Central District of Dasht-e Azadegan County, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The vast majority of i ...

. He was then elected as the commander of the 17th Ali ibn Abi Taleb Division.

Death

On the 18th of November 1984, Mahdi Zeinoddin and his brother were travelling from Kermanshah to Sardasht when they were attacked by secessionist Kurdish rebels and were both killed in the attack. He was buried in the fifth sector of the Gulzar-e Shuhada Cemetery in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zein-eddin, Mahdi 1959 births 1984 deaths Iranian military personnel killed in the Iran–Iraq War Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Iran–Iraq War Recipients of the Order of Fath Military personnel from Tehran

Early life

After the Iranian Revolution

Death

See also

References