Rostam Ghasemi (; 5 May 1964 – 8 December 2022) was an Iranian military officer and
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician who was the
Minister of Roads and Urban Development from 25 August 2021 to 22 November 2022. He was
Minister of Petroleum from 3 August 2011 to 15 August 2013.
Early life and education
Ghasemi was born on 5 May 1964 in
Sargah village,
Mohr County,
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 ...
.
His father was a businessman and politician. He served as the governor of the Fars Province from 1980 to 1988. He graduated from
Sharif University of Technology, studying civil engineering.
Career
Ghasemi joined the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...
(IRGC) in
Kharg Island in 1979.
[ He participated in the Iran-Iraq War.][ After the war, he joined the Khatam-al Anbia troops in ]Bushehr
Bushehr (; ) is a port city in the Central District (Bushehr County), Central District of Bushehr County, Bushehr province, Bushehr province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
Etymology
The roots of the n ...
, the Guards' engineering and construction company. In 1996, he was named head of the IRGC navy's Nouh base.[ Ghasemi became deputy commander of the troops in 2001.
He was the chair of the IRGC-affiliated Khatam-al Anbiya Construction Headquarters from 2007 to 2011.][ He retired from the military in August 2011.
On 26 July 2011, he was nominated as oil minister by ]Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...
to succeed Masoud Mir Kazemi
Sayyid Masoud Mir Kazemi (; born 1960) is an Iranian conservative politician and the former Vice President of Iran and head of Plan and Budget Organization. He was a member of the Parliament of Iran from Tehran district from 2012 until 2016, and ...
. He was approved by the parliament on 3 August 2011, being the fourth oil minister in the Ahmedinejad government.[ He was the president of the ]OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) is an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize Profit (eco ...
for 2011, despite being on the US, EU and Australian sanction list since 2010. Ghasemi's tenure as oil minister ended on 15 August 2013, and he was replaced by Bijan Namdar Zanganeh in the post.[
Ghasemi was seen in a photograph dated 2011 in Malaysia cuddling a woman without hijab alleged to be his non-married girlfriend, in conflict with the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran's government when he was the minister of oil, a cabinet position in that government.
On 8 December 2022, Ghasemi died of illness in China, aged 58.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghasemi, Rostam
1964 births
2022 deaths
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps brigadier generals
Oil ministers of Iran
Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces politicians
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel of the Iran–Iraq War
Iranian individuals subject to U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions
Sharif University of Technology alumni
Quds Force personnel
People from Fars province