TEHRAN — Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, the former Iranian interior minister and one of the founders of the Hezbollah resistance movement, has died of COVID-19.

Israel’s Mossad spy agency attempted to assassinate him when he was the Iranian ambassador to Syria, severely injuring his hand, ear, and eye.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei sent a message of condolence over his death, asking for forgiveness and mercy from God, and patience for his family.

In separate messages, President Hassan Rouhani, Judiciary Chief Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and other officials asked God for blessing for Mohtashamipour’s soul. 
 

SA/PA