Seyyed Kazem Kazemi Rashed, also known as Nazir, was one of the founding architects of the Islamic Republic of Iran’ s intelligence system and the Deputy Chief of Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was martyred on August 24, 1985, in the Talaieh region.

Seyyed Kazem Kazemi Rashed was born on August 23, 1957, in the Aaradan district of Garmsar. His father, Seyyed Ali-Naqi, was a farmer who encouraged his children to study religious texts. At the age of six, he moved with his family to Gorgan.⁠[1] In 1973, at the age of 16, he began receiving religious magazines from Qom through his father’ s associates. He had a small library named “ Hurr” where the youth could read religious and political books, some of which were banned by the Pahlavi regime, such as Hokoomat-e Eslami (Islamic Government) and the Resalah (Practical Treatise) of Imam Khomeini (ra). Consequently, he was arrested by SAVAK and released after a period of detention.⁠[2]

Kazemi earned his mathematics diploma in 1975 and moved to Tehran to find a job. He first completed a course in architectural drafting and was subsequently hired by the Physical Education Organization.⁠[3] In the meantime, he made connections with several active university students. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested for a second time and imprisoned for ten days at the Joint Anti-Sabotage Committee.⁠[4] Although he passed the national university entrance exam in 1976, his prior arrest record prevented his enrollment. With his father’ s support and encouragement, Kazemi moved to the United States to pursue his education, studying mechanical engineering. He eventually joined the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada. Throughout 1977 and 1978, Kazemi participated in student demonstrations against the Pahlavi regime abroad⁠[5] and was arrested twice by American police for his activities. He was later elected as the deputy and eventually the head of Iranian students in Kansas.⁠[6] He had a clear understanding of various leftist, rightist, and eclectic political groups.

On March 3, 1979, Kazemi left his studies in the United States unfinished and returned to Iran. Later on, after completing the general training courses at the Imam Ali (as) Garrison, he joined the IRGC. Following the unrest in Kurdistan, he was deployed to Naqadeh to confront anti-revolutionary elements.⁠[7] He participated in the first national university entrance exam after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and was admitted to the University of Tehran. Finding the university environment unsettled, he worked with Muslim students to challenge members of factions such as Pishgam, Peykar, Tudeh, Rah-e Kargar, and the Munafiqeen.⁠[8] He also played a role in the seizure of the U. S. Embassy on November 4, 1979.

On August 15, 1981, Seyyed Kazem Kazemi married Leila Mosallaei, a member of the Islamic Association at Razi University. They had two daughters.⁠[9]

Kazemi was instrumental in the formation of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Within the IRGC Intelligence unit, he was responsible for identifying and strategizing the discovery of various political factions and underground groups.⁠[10] At the request of the then Governor-General of Sistan and Baluchestan and with the approval of the IRGC Commander, Kazemi served for a time as the Deputy Governor-General for Political and Security Affairs, where he dedicated himself to fighting insurgents and drug traffickers. He eventually returned to the IRGC, becoming the head of the Intelligence Unit and a member of the IRGC Supreme Council.⁠[11]

Despite holding a high-ranking security position, he frequently appeared on the frontlines during the war. On August 24, 1985— coinciding with the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Muhammad Baqer (as) — he was on a boat with several fellow fighters in the Hoor (Talaieh) region when he was wounded by artillery shrapnel and attained martyrdom. Following a funeral procession in Tehran, and in accordance with his will, he was buried in Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery, section 24, row 76, number 30. The first memorial ceremony for Martyr Seyyed Kazem Kazemi was held in 2011 at the IRIB International Conference Center, organized by the Sepas Association.⁠[12]

On January 17, 2012, a bust of this martyr was installed in Tehran’ s Laleh Park as a symbol of resistance, bravery, and the chivalry of the martyrs of the Revolution and the eight-year Sacred Defense.⁠[13] In 2023, Seyyed Kazem Kazemi was introduced as the “ Prominent Martyr” of Golestan Province.⁠[14] Regarding his life, the Sepas Association has published two books: Nazir-e Hoor (The Nazir of Hoor) by Shamsi Khosravi and Vaqt-e Mahdood (Limited Time) by Muhammad-Hassan Roozi-Talab.