IRAN - Profile - Mohsen Rafiqdust.

The head of the Bonyad Mustazefan e Janbazan (foundation of the deprived and disabled) since September 1989, Rafiqdust is a brother-in-law of Rafsanjani. Bonyad is a massive conglomerate controlling a large number of companies and is said to have control over 25% of the economy. Bonyad is neither owned by the state nor controlled by the private sector. It has a unique ownership structure, unmatched anywhere else in the world. It simply belongs to "the deprived people of the Shiite World". This can be interpreted in more than one way.

Rafiqdust and his brothers have had links to Rafsanjani's family since their youth. In 1994 the government subtly blocked efforts by Bonyad to penetrate the hydrocarbon sector. This was because Bonyad was a sphere of influence for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamen'i.

Before the April 1992 parliamentary elections, Rafsanjani had thought that control over Bonyad by Khamen'i (the only man who can appoint or dismiss its management) meant control by his pragmatists including Rafiqdust. But later Rafiqdust was sidelined by other executives whom Khamen'i appointed, and then Bonyad sought to end NIOC's monopoly over the oil business.

These executives, backed by the traditionalists, had indicated since early 1992 that they would want to take over refineries or start new ones, trade in crude oil overseas, and even run the oilfields, confining NIOC's role to that of collector of royalties. Their subsequent snub by then oil minister Aghazadeh, on behalf of Rafsanjani, reflected an indirect counter-attack on the traditionalist camp. But Rafsanjani kept a low profile after that, while Bonyad stopped pushing for the oil business.

Rafiqdust was born in 1940 in Tehran and his education was limited to high school. He became a member of the Coalition of Islamic Mourning Groups in 1962. He studied under the late Ayatullah Beheshti and was a co-founder of the Refah Islamic school. He served in prison for political activities in 1976-78. After the revolution, he was put in charge of security for Imam Khomeini's reception committee and was the Imam's driver. He joined the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and was involved in its administration. He wrote the statutes of the IRGC. He became IRGC minister in November 1982 and stayed in that post until September 1988. During that period he built up a power base. He was accused of embezzlement by radicals and failed to win a vote of confidence from the Majlis in September 1989. In 1988-89 he was advisor to then acting commander of armed forces Rafsanjani on armaments industry and logistics.