A senior IRGC officer and the governor of Iran’s East Azarbaijan province died on Saturday due to what officials said was a “respiratory and pulmonary illness.”

Zeinolabedin Khorram-Razavi, a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, gained prominence when he and 47 others were abducted by opponents of the Syrian regime in July 2012 during the early years of the Syrian civil war. He was also known by a shorter version of his name as Abedin Khorram.

The Islamic Republic initially denied the presence of military personnel in Syria, portraying the abductees as ordinary citizens on a pilgrimage and falsely presenting them as retirees. The kidnappers, opposing President Bashar al-Assad, demanded the cessation of Iran's support for the regime and threatened to kill the hostages if their demands were not met.

Khorram-Razavi and the other captives were eventually released in January 2013, as part of an exchange for 2,130 inmates held in Syrian prisons.

Khorran-Razavi was heavily involved in suppression of the nationwide protests in November 2019, as the IRGC and its agents killed 1,500 civilians and arrested thousands.

After being appointed as the governor, he faced criticism, particularly for his handling of the protests. The Etemad Melli newspaper highlighted that his appointment aimed to exert greater control over the security situation in the region. Once President Ebrahim Raisi was elected in June 2021, he appointed many senior IRGC officers as provincial governors.

During his inauguration ceremony held in October 2021, chaos ensued when one of the participants slapped Khorram-Razavi. The incident unfolded in the presence of the Minister of Interior, adding a controversial chapter to his tenure as governor.