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Biography of Iranian Defence Minister Brig-Gen Mostafa Mohammad Najjar

Posted on: Monday, 7 November 2005, 09:00 CST

Mostafa Mohammad Najjar was one of the first to join the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and quickly became the head of the IRGC's Middle East Directorate which strived to export Islamic revolution beyond Iran, its areas of operation including Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states. Under his leadership, the IRGC expanded its presence and influence in Lebanon and established active relations with radical Palestinian and Arab groups in the region. After 1985, Najjar worked with mainly managerial and logistical responsibilities in the then Ministry of Guards and in military industrial organizations affiliated to the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics. Najjar played a key role in the development of the military industry in Iran and in 1992 he accompanied President Hashemi-Rafsanjani to China and Russia for the procurement of arms and equipment.

Career: Najjar joined the IRGC when it was formed in May 1979. He took part in the quelling of Kurdish unrest in 1979 and 1980. After his return from Kurdistan Province, he worked as a staff officer in the IRGC Central Command HQ responsible for the affairs of Sistan va Baluchestan Province. In 1981 he became the IRGC's director of cooperatives responsible for IRGC non-combat logistical support, including medical and social services, and housing. In early 1982, Najjar, a fluent Arabic speaker was promoted to the head of the IRGC's Middle East Directorate, and in addition commanded the Guards expeditionary units in Lebanon. He returned to Iran in 1985 and worked in the then Ministry of Guards on self-sufficiency projects and headed various technical support groups involved in the manufacturing of equipment for the IRGC combat units. Later, Najjar became the director of the Hadid Industrial Group, the first military hardware manufacturing company of the IRGC. In 1989, following the amalgamation of the Ministries of Guards and Defence, Najjar became head of the armament section of the Military Industries Organization (MIO) which itself was an amalgamation of different military industrial groups. During 2002-2005, Najjar became the head of the MIO's munitions section and prior to being appointed as defence minister he was the deputy head of the MIO for planning and development.

Background: Najjar was born in 1956 into a religious family in the poorer quarters of southern Tehran. He has a BSc in mechanical engineering (designing of solid materials) from the Khajeh Nasireddin Tusi University and holds a masters degree in administration management from the Organization of Industrial Management.

Brig-Gen Najjar on:

Nuclear issue:

"Access to nuclear energy is an inalienable right of Iran and we shall safeguard it by our presence at international organizations and through diplomacy and confidence building measures. From an Islamic viewpoint, military and non-peaceful use of nuclear technology is 'haram' [religiously forbidden]". (Mehr news agency, 30 August 2005)

"Iran merely wants nuclear energy for civilian application and the welfare of citizens and does not need nuclear arms." (IRNA, 24 September 2005)

Defence policy: "We follow detente with active diplomacy in a bid to help strengthen peace and stability in the region." (IRNA, 16 October 2005)

Defence programmes: "We must increase the Defence Ministry's budget by reducing costs, omitting parallel organizations, using the industrial sector and increasing exports \the ministry intends to improve the quality of its products, develop nanotechnology, improve air defence systems for missiles, gain access to new resources, produce advanced and intelligent arms, improve armoured systems, develop intelligent systems for artillery and ships and command equipment, and produce equipment for asymmetric warfare, future soldier and electronic war\ moreover, cooperation with the scientific centres and universities, and the absorption of skilled people as well as encouraging innovation are among the ministry's aims." (Mehr news agency, 23 August 2005)

Iraq: "Those who commit terrorist acts are real enemies of the ideal of the Iraqi people \the security, defence and economic agreements which have already been signed by the two countries show Iran's strong determination to help restore security and peace in Iraq." (IRNA, 16 October 2005)

Iran-Iraq war: "Our martyrs taught the world that Iran is alive and dynamic and makes every sacrifice to defend its national and Islamic values \they taught the nation the lesson of self-belief and as a result Iran has made progress in the field of modern equipment for defence forces." (IRNA, 24 September 2005)

Islamic world: "We look forward to seeing the Islamic world removed from danger and the ummah growing in dignity at this sensitive time in history when the Islamic world is being targeted by numerous conspiracies, and our thanks to God for His blessings and hopes for greater vigilance, unity and cooperation among Islamic governments and nations." (IRNA, 2 November 2005)

Persian Gulf security: "The volatile situation in the region and the lack of a joint security system between Iran and those Arab states which are situated on the other side of the Persian Gulf have given rise to the presence of foreign forces in the region." (Mehr news agency, 2 October 2005)

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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