Akbar Torkan (Persian: اکبر ترکان; 1952–2021) was an Iranian mechanical engineer[2][3] and politician, who was the President Hassan Rouhani's chief adviser from 2013 to 2018. He served as the CEO of Iran's Construction Engineering Organization from 2014 to 2017. He was also the Minister of Defense and Minister of Roads and Transportation in the government headed by President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Akbar Torkan
Torkan in August 2014
Senior Advisor to the President of Iran
In office
26 August 2013 – 1 December 2018[citation needed]
PresidentHassan Rouhani
Preceded byMojtaba Samareh Hashemi
Succeeded byVacant
Minister of Roads and Transportation
In office
16 August 1993 – 20 August 1997
PresidentAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Preceded byMohammad Saeedikia
Succeeded byMahmoud Hojjati
Minister of Defense
In office
29 August 1989 – 16 August 1993
PresidentAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Preceded byMohammad Hossein Jalali
Succeeded byMohammad Forouzandeh
Personal details
Born(1952-09-23)23 September 1952[citation needed]
Tehran, Iran
Died16 May 2021(2021-05-16) (aged 68)[1]
Tehran, Iran[citation needed]
Political partyModeration and Development Party
Executives of Construction Party
ResidenceTehran
Alma materSharif University

Career and political stance

edit

Torkan graduated from Sharif University of Technology.[4] He was governor of Hormozgan, and Ilam provinces after the revolution in 1979. Even though he was a civilian, he served as the head of the Defense Industries Organization during wartime. After the war he supported president Rafsanjani in his election.

He was appointed Minister of Defense in 1989 by Rafsanjani in his cabinet in his first term.[4] He was approved by the Majlis with a majority vote, 242 for and 10 against.[4] In second term of Rafsanjani's presidency, Torkan was appointed Minister of Roads and Transportation.[5]

According to the Tehran Times, Torkan was one of the "trusted members of Rohani’s inner circle." The same source said that Torkan was known for his liberal views on a market economy, and that he served as the deputy director of Rouhani's presidential campaign.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ "President condoles Mr Akbar Torkan's demise". www.president.ir. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  2. ^ "زندگینامه: اکبر ترکان (۱۳۳۱-۱۴۰۰)". 4 August 2013.
  3. ^ "اكبر تركان،سازمان نظام مهندسی ساختمان کشور". www.irceo.net. Archived from the original on 2013-12-28.
  4. ^ a b c Ehteshami, Anoushiravan (1991). "After Khomeini: the Structure of Power in the Iranian Second Republic". Political Studies. XXXIX: 148–157. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.1991.tb00586.x. S2CID 145005463.
  5. ^ همه چیز درباره رئیس‌جمهور هفتم BBC Persian. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Rohani appoints Turkan as head of advisors Archived 2014-10-17 at the Wayback Machine," Tehran Times (27 August 2013).
edit