2020 in Iran explained

Events in the year 2020 in Iran.

Incumbents

• Supreme Leader of Iran: Ali Khamenei
• President of Iran: Hassan Rouhani
• Chairman of the Parliament: Ali Larijani (until 28 May), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (from 28 May)
• Judiciary System of Iran: Ebrahim Raisi

Events

January

• January 3  - A U.S. coordinated airstrike near Baghdad International Airport kills Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani.^[1]
• January 7  - A stampede at the burial procession of Qasem Soleimani killed at least 56 people and injured over 200.^[2]
• January 8
  • Ballistic missiles from Iran strike two United States military bases in Iraq.^[3]
  • Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashes after being shot down by Iranian missiles near Tehran shortly after take-off with 176 passengers and crew on board. All 176 passengers and crew died.^[4]
• January 9  - A bus crashes in Mazandaran Province, killing at least 20 passengers and injuring 24 others.
• January 11 – the British Ambassador to Iran is arrested and released shortly after.^[5]
• January 12
  • Hundreds of Iranians attend anti-government protest after government admits shooting down a Ukrainian airplane due to human error.^[6]
  • Kimia Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal in Taekwondo during the 2016 Summer Olympics, has defected to an undisclosed country. It is unclear if she will compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics^[7]
• January 22
  • Masked gunmen kill local security leader, Abdolhossein Mojaddami, head of a unit of the Revolutionary Guard.^[8]

February

• 19 February – The first case of COVID-19 is confirmed in Qom, marking the beginning of the pandemic in the country.
• 21 February – Scheduled date for the 2020 Iranian legislative election.^[9]
• 23 February – 2020 Khoy earthquake
• 29 February – 43 people have died and 593 are infected with COVID-19.^[10]

May

• 10 May – an anti-ship missile fired from the hit the support vessel,^[11] killing 19 and wounding 15 of the crew of the Konarak.^[12]

June

• 25 June - The first of the 2020 Iran explosions occurs
• 26 June - An explosion occurred at a Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group facility outside of Tehran, which houses the Khojir missile facility.^{[13] [14]}

July

• 2 July - The Natanz incident occurred, wherein the centrifuge assembly center at the Natanz nuclear site was destroyed.^[15]

December

• 3 December - Iran surpasses 1 million cases of COVID-19.^[16]

Deaths

• 3 January – Qasem Soleimani, 62, major general, commander of the Quds Force (b. 1957)^[17]
• 19 February – Yervand Manaryan, 95, actor (b. 1924)^[18]
• 27 February – Hadi Khosroshahi, 81, cleric and diplomat (b. 1939)^[19]
• 28 February
  • Mahmoud Khayami, 90, industrialist and philanthropist (b. 1930)^[20]
  • Malakeh Ranjbar, 81, actress, (b. 1939)^[21]
• 1 March – Siamand Rahman, 31, powerlifter, paralympic champion (b. 1988)^[22]
• 3 March – Ahmad NikTalab, 85, poet, author, and linguistic (b. 1934)^[23]
• 5 March – Hossein Sheikholesam, 67, politician, (b. 1952)^[24]
• 4 March - Eskandar Firouz, 93, environmentalist and politician (b. 1926)^[25]
• 7 March
  • Fatemeh Rahbar, 55, politician, member-elect of the parliament, (b.  1964)^[26]
  • Houshang Zarif, 81, tar player, heart failure (b. 1938)
• 13 March – Nasser Shabani, 62–63, brigadier general, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (b. 1957)^{[27] [28]}
• 15 March – Mohammad Ami-Tehrani, 84, olympic weightlifter (b. 1935)^[29]
• 16 March –
  • Hashem Bathaie Golpayenagi, 78–79, cleric, member of the Assembly of Experts (b. 1941)
  • Fariborz Raisdana, 75, economist (b. 1948)^[30]
• 19 March – Hamid Kohram, 61–62, politician (b.  1958)^[31]
• 22 March – Behrouz Rahbar, 74, olympic racing cyclist (b. 1945)^[32]
• 23 March - Hassan Akbarzadeh, 93, researcher and mathematician (b. 1927)
• 24 March - Abbasgholi Daneshvar, 95, physician and surgeon (b. 1925)
• 25 March –
  • Edman Ayvazyan, 87, painter (b. 1932)^[33]
  • Farzaneh Taidi, 74, actress (b. 1945)^[34]
• 27 March – Daniel Gevargiz, 79, olympic weightlifter (b. 1940)^[35]
• 30 March - Kioumars Darembakhsh, 74, writer and photographer (b. 1945)
• 5 April - Homayoun Khosravi, 66, musician (b. 1953)
• 11 April - Pari Mansouri, 85, writer and translator (b. 1935)
• 15 April - Siamak Shayeghi, 65, film director and producer (b. 1954)
• 24 April - Ebrahim Amini, 94, cleric and politician, member of the Assembly of Experts (b. 1925)^[36]
• 26 April - Abolfazl Salabi, 95, basketball player (b. 1924)
• 4 May - Najaf Daryabandari, 90, writer (b. 1929)^[37]
• 16 May - Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, 67–6, politician and diplomat (b. 1952)^[38]
• 25 May - Sedigheh Kianfar, 87, actress (b. 1933)
• 5 June - Marjan, 71, singer and actress (b. 1948)^[39]
• 6 June - Mehdi Nikbakht, 40, poet and daf player (b. 1970)
• 9 June - Parviz Aboutaleb, 77–78, footballer and coach (b. 1942)
• 14 June - Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz, 90, actor (b. 1930)^[40]
• 19 June - Alborz Zarei, 38, climber and environmentalist (b. 1982)
• 19 June - Gholamreza Mansouri, 54, judge (b. 1966)
• 27 June - David Stronach, 89, archaeologist of ancient Iran (b. 1931)^[41]
• 1 July - Sirous Gorjestani, 75, actor (b. 1944)
• 8 July - Houshang Seddigh, 72, pilot and commander of the Air Force (b. 1948)
• 14 July - Abolghasem Sarhaddizadeh, 75, politician (b. 1945)
• 18 July - Ali Mirzaei, 91, weightlifter (b. 1929)
• 18 July - Saeed Ghaemmaghami, 76, journalist (b. 1944)
• 20 July - Ahmad Pourmokhber, 79, actor (b. 1940)
• 28 July - Badr al-Zamān Qarīb, 90, linguist (b. 1929)
• 1 August - Khosrow Sinai, 79, film director (b. 1941)^[42]
• 3 August - Mohammad Reza Navaei, 71, wrestler (b. 1948)^[43]
• 7 August - Mahchehreh Khalili, 43, actress (b. 1977)
• 16 August - Bahman Mofid, 78, actor (b. 1942)^[44]
• 18 August - Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri, 75, cleric and politician, member of the Assembly of Experts (b. 1944)
• 25 August - Ruhollah Hosseinian, 64, cleric and politician (b. 1956)
• 27 August - Siah Armajani, 81, sculptor and architect (b. 1939)^[45]
• 29 August - Serjik Teymourian, 46, footballer (b. 1974)
• 31 August - Farhad Ahmadi, 69, architecture (b. 1950)
• 12 September - Yousef Saanei, 82, cleric (b. 1937)
• 12 September - Navid Afkari, 26-27, wrestler (b. 1993)
• 18 September - Talat Basari, 97, writer and academic (b. 1923)
• 30 September - Abbas Javanmard, 91, actor and director (b. 1928)
• 1 October - Manouchehr Ashtiani, 89, sociologist (b. 1929)
• 6 October - Nosratollah Vahdat, 95, actor and director (b. 1925)
• 8 October - Mohammad Reza Shajarian, 80, singer (b. 1940)
• 12 October - Sadegh Malek Shahmirzadi, 80, archaeologist (b. 1940)
• 13 October - Akbar A'lami, 75, TV presenter (b. 1944)
• 16 October - Gholam-Abbas Tavassoli, 85, sociologist (b. 1935)
• 18 October - Laleh Bakhtiar, 82, translator (b. 1938)
• 24 October - Abbas Moayeri, 81, painter (b. 1939)
• 29 October - Karim Akbari Mobarakeh, 67, actor (b. 1953)
• 31 October - Jalal Malaksha, 69, poet (b. 1951)
• 8 November - Heidar Shonjani, 74, swimmer (b. 1945)
• 10 November - Mahmoud Yavari, 81, football coach (b. 1939)
• 10 November - Amir Yavari, 88, boxer (b. 1931)
• 22 November - Changiz Jalilvand, 82, dubler (b. 1938)
• 24 November - Kambuzia Partovi, 65, film director (b. 1955)
• 24 November - Mohammad Khadem, 85, wrestler (b. 1935)
• 27 November - Parviz Poorhosseini, 79, actor (b. 1941)
• 27 November - Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, 59, physician (b. 1961)
• 28 November - Mohammad-Ali Shahidi, 71, cleric and politician (b. 1949)
• 29 November - Ramesh, 74, singer and actress (b. 1946)
• 1 December - Ali-Asghar Shahbazi, 98, actor (b. 1922)
• 1 December - Mohammad Maleki, 87, writer and human rights activist (b. 1933)
• 9 December - Mohammad Yazdi, 89, cleric and politician (b. 1931)
• 12 December - Ruhollah Zam, 42, journalist (b. 1978)

Notes and References

1. News: Iraq Militia Officials, Iran's QUDS Force Head Killed in U.S. Drone Strike. O'Connor. Tom. Laporta. James. January 2, 2020. Newsweek. January 2, 2020.
2. Web site: Stampede kills dozens mourning Iranian general slain by U.S.. 2020-01-07. Los Angeles Times. en-US. 2020-01-09.
3. News: 8 January 2020 . Iran attacks bases housing US troops . CNN . 8 January 2020.
4. Web site: 'No survivors' after Ukrainian airliner crashes near Tehran. Al Jazeera. 7 January 2020.
5. Web site: Arrest of Ambassador to Iran: Foreign Secretary statement. GOV.UK. en. 2020-01-11.
6. https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/anti-government-protests-as-iran-admits-downing-ukraine-plane-1.962599 Anti-government protests as Iran admits downing Ukraine plane
7. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-s-only-female-olympic-medalist-appears-defect-criticizes-regime-n1114146?cid=sm_npd_nn_fb_ma Iran's only female Olympic medalist appears to defect, criticizes regime
8. https://www.yahoo.com/news/masked-gunmen-kill-local-commander-094504012.html Masked gunmen kill local commander of Iran's security forces
9. Web site: Parliamentary Elections Set for Feb. 2020 . financialtribune.com . 27 February 2019 . 3 January 2020.
10. https://news.yahoo.com/irans-coronavirus-death-toll-rises-095653164.html Iran's coronavirus death toll rises to 43, 593 people infected
11. Web site: Iran navy 'friendly fire' incident kills 19 sailors in Gulf of Oman. 11 May 2020. BBC News. 2020-05-13.
12. Web site: ارتش ایران: ۱۹ نفر در حادثه شناور کنارک کشته و ۱۵ نفر مجروح شدند. 11 May 2020. BBC Persian. 2020-05-13. fa.
13. News: Satellite image: Iran blast was near suspected missile site . . June 27, 2020 . Jon . Gambrell . The gas storage area sits near what analysts describe as Iran’s Khojir missile facility. The explosion appears to have struck a facility for the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which makes solid-propellant rockets.
14. News: After Iranian Missile Facility Blows Up, Conspiracy Theories Abound in Tehran . . June 29, 2020 . David E. . Sanger . Ronen . Bergman . Farnaz . Fassihi . Ronen Solomon of IntelliTimes, an intelligence blog, who was among the first to identify the Khojir missile facility as the site of the explosion, noted that it did “little damage.” But he noted it was “a vast facility,” and as part of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, it has been the target of American economic sanctions. . https://archive.today/20200703175408/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/29/world/middleeast/iran-missile-explosion.html . July 3, 2020.
15. News: Fire at Iran's Natanz nuclear facility caused significant damage: spokesman . . July 5, 2020 . Parisa . Hafezi . Michael . Georgy . David . Clarke . A fire at Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear facility has caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced centrifuges used to enrich uranium, an Iranian nuclear official said on Sunday. Iran’s top security body said on Friday that the cause of the fire that broke out on Thursday had been determined but would be announced later..
16. Web site: Iran's Virus Cases Surpass 1 Million Since Start of Pandemic . . 2020-12-12 . 2021-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210102141347/https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-12-03/iran-s-covid-19-cases-surpass-1-million-since-start-of-pandemic . dead .
17. News: Qassim Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force, assassinated in US airstrike at Baghdad airport . The Telegraph . 3 January 2020 . 3 January 2020. Graham . Chris . Ensor . Josie . Sabur . Rozina . Allen . Nick .
18. Web site: Actor, filmmaker Yervand Manaryan dead at 96. armenpress.am. en. 2020-03-14.
19. Web site: Iran's ex-ambassador to Vatican dies of coronavirus. 2020-02-27. Middle East Monitor. en-GB. 2020-03-14.
20. Web site: از ماشین‌شویی در مشهد تا دریافت نشان امپراتوری بریتانیا. رادیو فردا. fa. 2020-03-14.
21. Web site: Veteran actress Malakeh Ranjbar dies at 81. 2020-02-28. Tehran Times. en. 2020-03-14.
22. Web site: World's Strongest Paralympian Siamand Rahman Dies at 31. Staff. IFP Editorial. 2020-03-01. Iran Front Page. En. 2020-03-14.
23. https://www.ettelaat.com/new/index.asp?fname=2020\03\03-03\22-17-53.htm&storytitle=%C3%9F%C3%A6%C3%8A%C3%87%C3%A5%20%C3%9D%C3%91%C3%A5%C3%A4%C2%90%C3%AD
24. Web site: دیپلمات سابق ایران بر اثر ابتلا به کرونا درگذشت؛ حال فاطمه رهبر "وخیم" اعلام شد. رادیو فردا. fa. 2020-03-14.
25. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/445841/Eskandar-Firouz-father-of-Iran-s-environment-protection-dies Eskandar Firouz, father of Iran’s environment protection, dies at 93
26. Web site: Coronavirus: Iranian MP Fatemeh Rahbar dies of virus as more cases reported. Middle East Eye. en. 2020-03-14.
27. Web site: Iranian General Shabani dies from Covid-19. 2020-03-14. Borneo Post Online. en-US. 2020-03-14.
28. Web site: سردار ناصر شعبانی درگذشت- اخبار سیاسی - اخبار تسنیم - Tasnim. خبرگزاری تسنیم - Tasnim. fa. 2020-03-14.
29. News: پیشکسوت وزنه‌برداری درگذشت. fa. The veteran of weightlifting died. The Islamic Republic News Agency. 2020-03-15. 2020-03-16.
30. News: فریبرز رئیس دانا، اقتصاددان، بر اثر ابتلا به کرونا درگذشت. fa. Chief economist Fariborz Dana died of coronary heart disease. 29 March 2020.
31. News: Former Iran MP Hamid Kahram dies from coronavirus. 20 March 2020. 29 March 2020.
32. News: Ex-Iran cyclist Behrouz Rahbar dies. 25 March 2020. 29 March 2020.
33. News: هنرمند نقاش و معمار شناخته شدۀ ارمنی‌ تبار در اثر بیماری کرونا درگذشت. A well-known Armenian painter and architect died of coronary artery disease. 29 March 2020. fa.
34. News: فرزانه تأییدی، بازیگر سینما و تئاتر در تبعید درگذشت. Cinema and theater actress Farzaneh Approved died in exile. fa. 29 March 2020.
35. News: نایب قهرمان اسبق بازیهای آسیایی درگذشت. The former vice champion of Asian Games died. fa. 29 March 2020. Fars News Agency.
36. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/447174/Ayatollah-Amini-passes-away-at-95 Ayatollah Amini passes away at 95
37. Web site: Renowned Iranian translator passes away. 5 May 2020.
38. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/447905/Iran-s-OPEC-governor-Kazempour-Ardebili-dies-of-brain-hemorrhage Iran’s OPEC governor Kazempour Ardebili dies of brain hemorrhage
39. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/marjan-iranian-actress-and-singer-who-became-symbol-of-rebellion-dies-at-71/2020/06/12/338d2fa2-ac07-11ea-a9d9-a81c1a491c52_story.html Marjan, Iranian actress and singer who became symbol of rebellion, dies at 71
40. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-culture-film-television-keshavarz/30670381.html Actor Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz dies at 90
41. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/449356/Scottish-archaeologist-David-Stronach-famed-for-intensive-Iranian Scottish archaeologist David Stronach, famed for intensive Iranian studies, dies at 89
42. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/latest-on-coronavirus-outbreak/iranian-film-director-khosrow-sinai-dies-of-covid-19/1929194 Iranian film director Khosrow Sinai dies of COVID-19
43. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/450809/Ex-Iran-wrestler-Navaei-passes-away Ex-Iran wrestler Navaei passes away
44. https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/451373/Qeisar-star-Bahman-Mofid-passes-on-at-78 “Qeisar” star Bahman Mofid passes on at 78
45. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/siah-armajani-dead-1234569516/ Siah Armajani, Ceaselessly Imaginative Artist with a Belief in the Power of Public Art, Is Dead at 81