Ghazanfar Roknabadi

Ghazanfar Mohammad Asl Roknabadi (21 March 1966 – 24 September 2015) was an Iranian diplomat, who served as Iranian ambassador to Lebanon from 2010 to 2014. He is confirmed to have died in the 2015 Mina disaster which killed at least 2,262 people.[1]

Ghazanfar Roknabadi
Ambassador of Iran to Lebanon
In office
10 May 2010 – 20 May 2014
PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad
Hassan Rouhani
Preceded byMohammadreza Rauf-Sheybani
Succeeded byMohammad Fathali
Personal details
Born
Ghazanfar Mohammad Asl Roknabadi

(1966-03-21)March 21, 1966
Qom, Iran
DiedSeptember 24, 2015(2015-09-24) (aged 49)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Political partyIndependent
Alma mater
ProfessionDiplomat, politician

On 28 September 2015, an Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman commented on Saudi media reports that said there was no official record that Roknabadi had entered Saudi Arabia. She said the reports were "incorrect" and "hasty", noting that the ministry has documents showing that an ordinary Hajj visa had been approved for the deceased diplomat.[2] Iranian media also released footage on 29 September, showing Roknabadi's presence in Mina.[3] The passport that showed his entrance into Saudi Arabia was also released by Iranian media.[4]

Roknabadi survived the 2013 Iranian embassy bombing.[5]

Career

Roknabadi entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1990, and served in the following positions:[6]

  • 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

References
  1. "Former Iranian envoy to Lebanon killed in Hajj stampede". albawaba NEWS. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  2. "PressTV-Iran rejects claims on missing diplomat". presstv.ir.
  3. "حضور "رکن آبادی" در عرفات ۹۴+فیلم". tnews.ir. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  4. "خبرگزاری صداوسیما – IRIB News". iribnews.ir. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. "رابرت فیسک: شهید رکن آبادی به آرزوی خود رسید". Mehr NEWS.
  6. "ركن‌آبادي سفير ايران در لبنان مي‌شود". Asr Iran. 10 May 2010.


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