Rostam Ghasemi, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who served in several key positions in Iran, died of cancer on Thursday at the age of 58, state media reported.
Ghasemi resigned from his position as the minister in November due to 'deteriorating health', according to state media.
A month before his resignation, photos emerged on social media of Ghasemi with a woman who was not wearing a hijab.
The photos were taken in Malaysia in 2011, his office confirmed. The unveiled woman seen with Ghasemi was his second wife.
An Iranian regime official being seen with an unveiled woman is certain to generate controversy, given the Islamic Republic’s mandatory hijab law, but the timing of the photos’ release also coincided with the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran.
Source: Iran international