In January, a video of an Iranian father’s agonized search among the corpses of slain protesters in a Tehran morgue, looking for his son Sepehr, seared viewers with the enormity of the state’s mass killings.
Now, HRANA reports that the father, Esmail Shokri was violently arrested on Saturday night while visiting his son’s grave in Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery and taken to an undisclosed location.
Revolutionary Guard Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi has come under criticism from senior IRGC officials for being absent during ongoing clashes and leaving his forces without leadership, sources with knowledge of the matter told Iran International.
The main criticism, according to the sources speaking to Iran International on condition of anonymity, centers on the commander’s lack of presence on the ground at a time when operational pressure has significantly intensified since the start of the war in late February.
Sources say that as casualties have mounted within the Aerospace Force—responsible for missile and drone launches—Mousavi’s absence has been cited as a key factor contributing to the deteriorating situation.
Aerospace Force operators have described the operational conditions as highly dangerous, with each missile launch mission carrying extreme risk and, in some cases, likened to near-suicidal operations, according to the informed sources.
At the same time, sources say families of some personnel have filed complaints with senior IRGC authorities, saying that the commander did not maintain an effective presence under dangerous conditions and that forces were effectively left without adequate support.
