Hasan Irlu

Hasan Irlu (Persian: حسن ایرلو; 1959 – December 20, 2021) was an Iranian diplomat. He served as the Iranian ambassador to Houthi-controlled Yemen from 2020 to 2021. He was a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s (IRGC) Quds Force, who became the head of its Yemen operations in Iran at the request of Qassem Soleimani.[1]

Sardar
Hasan Irlu
حسن ایرلو
Iranian ambassador to Yemen
In office
October 17, 2020 – December 20, 2021
Personal details
Born1959 (1959)
Ray, Tehran Province, Iran
DiedDecember 20, 2021(2021-12-20) (aged 61–62)
Tehran, Iran
Military service
Branch/service Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Years of service1979–2021
CommandsQuds Force
Battles/warsIran–Iraq War

Early life

Hassan Irlu was born in the city of Ray, in Tehran Province, where he completed his primary studies in Tehran in the Dolab Gate area, then completed his undergraduate studies at the University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Department of International Relations to obtain a doctorate and start his work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1]

Move to Yemen

On October 17, 2020, Iran posted Irlu as its ambassador in Sanaa.[2] On December 8, 2020, the United States placed Hassan Irlu under terrorism-related sanctions under Executive Order 13224.[3]

COVID-19 infection and death

On December 21, 2021, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that its envoy to the Houthi militia had died after he returned to the country at the end of last week in poor health after contracting COVID-19. The ministry said in a statement issued by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), that the Iranian ambassador to the National Salvation Government in Yemen, Hasan Irlu, died of infection with the coronavirus, despite medical follow-up. Irlu had been evacuated from Sanaa three days earlier on an Iraqi medical evacuation plane. Official Iranian obituaries said that Hasan Irlu was one of the leaders of the resistance and was a courageous leader, describing him as a martyr who was martyred while performing his mission.[4][5] Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, was quoted as describing Irlu as a "martyr" and a "chemical warfare veteran" of the Iran-Iraq war and contracted the coronavirus at the embassy and died at dawn after returning in unfavorable conditions.[6] The deputy commander of the IRGC, Ali Fadavi, also named him as a "fighter in the resistance front" accused the United States and its allies of delaying Irlu's evacuation from Sanaa. He had been suffering from respiratory problems because of his exposure to chemical weapons when he was fighting in the Iran-Iraq war.[7]

Attributing him to Abdolreza Shahlai

IRNA wrote in a report that it later removed from its website that Irlu was the same individual as Abdulreza Shahlai.[8] However, the US State Department confirmed that they were two different people and the reward for the arrest of Abdulreza Shahlai still stands.[7]

References
  1. "Treasury Sanctions Iran's Envoy in Yemen and University Facilitating Recruitment for Qods Force". United States Department of the Treasury. December 8, 2020. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  2. "Iran posts ambassador in Houthi-held Yemeni capital". Al Arabiya English. October 17, 2020. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  3. "U.S. blacklists Iranian envoy, possibly to pressure Yemen's Houthis". Reuters. December 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via www.reuters.com.
  4. "Iranian envoy evacuated from Yemen to Iraq". www.aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. "Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it helped evacuate Iran's sick envoy". Reuters. December 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via www.reuters.com.
  6. "Iran's envoy to Yemen Hasan Irlu dies of covid". December 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  7. "Exclusive: US Confirms Deceased Iran Envoy Is Not Wanted IRGC Operator". Iran International. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  8. "Iran Man In Yemen Suspected To Be IRGC General With $15 Million US Reward". Iran International. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
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