Refan was one of the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line taking over the U.S. embassy in 1979, who entered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and reached at top of its command hierarchy.[3][4] He was founder and the first commander of the IRGC's Air Force.[3][5][6] Refan wanted to transform the military branch into a major aerial warfare force parallel to the regular air force. He resigned in 1990, reportedly due to what he deemed lack of sufficient support from IRGC leadership, according to Jamal S. Suwaidi.[7]
Energy sector career
Following departure from the IRGC, Refan entered MAPNA Group.[8] He was manager and director of management committee of MAPNA for 17 years from its establishment to 2009.[9][10]
^Sinkaya, Bayram (2015), The Revolutionary Guards in Iranian Politics: Elites and Shifting Relations, Iranian Studies, vol. 25, Routledge, p. 96, ISBN9781317525646
^Kenneth Katzman (1993), "The Pasdaran: Institutionalization of Revolutionary Armed Force", Iranian Studies, 26 (3–4), International Society for Iranian Studies: 389–402, doi:10.1080/00210869308701809, JSTOR4310864
