Hojjatoleslam Hadi Ghaffari (Persian: حجت الاسلام هادی غفاری) (born June 25, 1950 in Azarshahr)[1] is a member of the central council of Imam assembly forces and the president of the Al-Hadi Institute in Iran.

According to Dr Mir Ali Montazam, one-time first secretary at the Iranian embassy, Ghaffari, was nicknamed the "machinegun mullah", since he was mostly seen with guns in the early revolution years.

Abbas Milani writes about Ghaffari: The man was famous for his radicalism and his seemingly revolutionary rhetoric and rumors of an attachment to violence, young girls and luxury homes.

Behind locked doors, after final efforts at stalling Hoveida's execution ended in failure, the ex-Prime Minister was taken into the prison's yard.

Before reaching the area designated for firing squad executions, Hadi Ghaffari from behind pulled out a pistol and shot Hoveida twice in the neck.