Neda Rafiei-Parsa, a university professor and one of the managers at Tavanir Company, was at her workplace on June 23, 2025, when she lost her life due to the blast wave. She was about 42 years old and had completed her studies from bachelor’s to Ph.D. in GIS Engineering and Statistics at Amirkabir University.

Her colleagues at Tavanir spoke to Shargh about the day of the explosion. One of them, Masoud Ghasemi, a board member and Deputy of Research and Human Resources at Tavanir, said:
“Neda Rafiei-Parsa, born in the 1980s, entered this industry through an elite quota and was highly committed to her work and expertise. This dedication meant that, on that day, despite only 30 percent of employees in Tehran’s executive offices being present, she voluntarily came to work.”

He continued:
“On Saturday and Sunday of the previous week (June 21–22), fewer colleagues were physically present at Tavanir. On Monday, June 23, we assumed the environment would be calmer, so 30 percent of colleagues with more strategic and decisive roles came to the office.”

11:15 AM — The moment of the explosion

Ghasemi said:
“Based on previous experience, the Israeli regime usually attacked after afternoon hours. On Monday morning, we were moving computers and equipment for colleagues because the Shahid Ghasemi Tavanir building had been damaged. Ms. Rafiei-Parsa voluntarily came to assist with this transfer and provide access to files for remote colleagues.

Her presence in the damaged Tavanir building to retrieve necessary files lasted about 10–15 minutes, and the explosion occurred during that time. Upon hearing the first blast, we urgently moved all colleagues outside while lying against nearby walls. One colleague shouted that Ms. Parsa was inside. I rushed toward the building, calling her, but got no response. She wasn’t in her office, so I thought she might have been thrown by the blast. I found her in one of the rooms on the floor, with severe bleeding. The strike was direct and powerful. The ambulance arrived shortly after, but it was too late.”

Ghasemi compared her tireless work in the electricity industry to the eight-year Iran-Iraq war:
“Everyone worked non-stop. The operator teams and those in critical electricity transmission sectors had contingency plans for any crisis scenario to ensure the power grid was never disrupted.”

An outstanding student

Amire Nik-Khah, Director General of the Cybersecurity Supervision Office at Tavanir, said:
“Neda Rafiei-Parsa was not only a colleague but also a relative. I know her well. Among all her colleagues, she was known for her dedication, diligence, and high intelligence. Because of her talent and hard work, she entered the Ministry of Energy through the elite recruitment program in 2008 and later became head of the Statistics Group at Tavanir.”

Nik-Khah, trying to hold back his grief, described her character:
“She was the only daughter in her family and had been married for three years. She was not the type to let home life interfere with her work; sometimes she stayed until 11 PM to finish her tasks. She was deeply committed to professional growth and development.”

He detailed her career path:
“She was an outstanding student, completing her studies to the Ph.D. level at Amirkabir University. In 2008, she joined the Ministry of Energy, initially in the Planning Office of the Electricity and Energy Deputy. She specialized in macro statistics and planning. At Tavanir’s IT office, we needed someone with expertise in descriptive spatial data analysis and related planning. She was appointed head of the Statistics & GIS Group, and today, all detailed and macro statistics published by Tavanir are the result of Neda Rafiei-Parsa’s tireless efforts.”

Nik-Khah on the day of the explosion:
“She arrived at the office around 9:30 AM. We talked about the bombings of the 1980s and the Iran-Iraq war. Neda said that if something were to happen, martyrdom was better than injury — as if she had already made her choice. By 11:15 AM, most colleagues had already left with their necessary files, but Neda stayed to work on a colleague’s system. At the moment of the explosion, shrapnel from the blast penetrated the wall of the room where Neda was and struck her directly.”