Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 24, 2026

Mousa Refan

Mousa Refan also known as Akbar Refan, is an Iranian electrical engineer and former military officer.

Last revised
Jun 24, 2026
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Mousa Refan
موسی رفان
Deputy Ministry of Energy and Deputy Minister of Energy for Industry and Support
In office
1997–1998
PresidentAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Mohammad Khatami
Ali Khamenei
Preceded byMajid Ghassemi
Succeeded byReza Ardakanian
CEO of MAPNA Group
In office
1993–2009
Preceded byOffice Established
Succeeded byAbbas Aliabadi
CEO of IWPCO
In office
1990–1993
Preceded byBehrouz Khajavi Noori
Succeeded byReza Hadadian
Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force
In office
17 September 1985 – 24 April 1990
PresidentAli Khamenei
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Prime MinisterMir-Hossein Mousavi
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ali Khamenei
Preceded byOffice Established
Succeeded byHossein Dehghan
Personal details
Born (1958-05-22) 22 May 19581
Military service
AllegianceIran Iran
Branch/serviceIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Years of service
1981–1990
Rank Brigadier General
Battles/warsIran–Iraq War

Mousa Refan (Persian: موسی رفان) also known as Akbar Refan (Persian: اکبر رفان), is an Iranian electrical engineer and former military officer.

In 2012 he was elected as the featured electrical engineer of Iran by Iran Academy of Science.2

Early life and education

Born in 1958 in Kazerun, Fars province, Refan obtained his BS in electrical engineering from University of Tehran.2

Military career

Refan was one of the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line taking over the U.S. embassy in 1979, who entered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and reached at top of its command hierarchy.34 He was founder and the first commander of the IRGC's Air Force.356 Refan wanted to transform the military branch into a major aerial warfare force parallel to the regular air force. He resigned in 1990, reportedly due to what he deemed lack of sufficient support from IRGC leadership, according to Jamal S. Suwaidi.7

Energy sector career

Following departure from the IRGC, Refan entered MAPNA Group.8 He was manager and director of management committee of MAPNA for 17 years from its establishment to 2009.910

Views

According to the Israeli institute Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, Refan is regarded a principlist figure within Iranian political spectrum.3

References

References

  1. "Tana Group Official Website > Home". tanaenergy.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  2. "هفت مهندس برجسته منتخب فرهنگستان علوم چه کسانی هستند؟ - ایسنا". isna.ir. 24 February 2013. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  3. "Appendix D: Noted Iranians who were involved in the takeover of the US embassy in 1979" (PDF), Iran preserves the ethos of the takeover of the US embassy in Tehran by militant students in 1979, Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, 14 May 2007
  4. Sinkaya, Bayram (2015), The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations, Iranian Studies, vol. 25, Routledge, p. 96, ISBN 9781317525646
  5. Kenneth Katzman (1993), "The Pasdaran: Institutionalization of Revolutionary Armed Force", Iranian Studies, 26 (3–4), International Society for Iranian Studies: 389–402, doi:10.1080/00210869308701809, JSTOR 4310864
  6. Directory of Iranian officials: a reference aid, Directorate of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, 1988
  7. Jamal S. Suwaidi (1996), Iran and the Gulf: A Search for Stability, I.B.Tauris, p. 205, ISBN 9781860641442
  8. Tolga Tanış (28 March 2016), Zarrab connections, Hürriyet
  9. "موسی و عیسی رفتند !!!". boursenews.ir. Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  10. "Iran-Germany sign 450 million Euros locomotive contract". Payvand. Archived from the original on 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-07-22.