Born in 1951 in Mashhad, Afshar graduated from Alavi School in his hometown and later earned a degree in mechanical engineering from highly prestigous Sharif University of Technology in Tehran.
Prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, he was detained by the Shah’s security forces (SAVAK) for his political activism and spent four months in prison. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he was among the students supporting the founding father of the revolution Imam Khomeini.
Afshar held numerous key positions during and after the Iran-Iraq War, including deputy and chief of the IRGC’s central staff, spokesperson for the IRGC, and commander of the Basij voluntary forces from 1989 to 1997.
Between 1997 and 2000, he served as president of Imam Hossein University. His career also included senior roles in the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defence Values, and the Ministry of Interior.
MNA/6623985
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