Ahmad Mirfendereski (; 9 May 1918 – 2 May 2004) was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

diplomat, politician and the last

minister of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

of the Shah era in Iran.

Career

Mirfendereski began his career at the ministry of foreign affairs and held many posts there. He served as the ambassador of Iran to the Soviet Union in the sixties. Upon returning to Tehran, he was appointed as deputy minister of foreign affairs in 1970. He served in the post until October 1973 when he was dismissed because he allowed Soviet civil airplanes to fly spare parts to Iraq to be employed in the October war with Israel without consent of the Shah

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

. Mirfendereski was appointed foreign minister to the cabinet led by Shahpour Bakhtiar in January 1979, replacing Abbas Ali Khalatbari in the post. His term lasted very short, just 37 days, and ended in February 1979 when an

Islamic revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Im ...

took place in the country. Just before the return of

Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

to Iran Mirfendereski declared that Iran ended its membership from the

CENTO Cento (; Bolognese dialect, Northern Bolognese: ; Bolognese dialect, City Bolognese: ; Bolognese dialect, Centese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The name Cento is a reference to the centur ...

which is considered to be an initiative of the Bakhtiar cabinet to establish positive relations with both Khomeini's supporters and the leftist groups. Karim Sanjabi succeeded Mirfendereski as foreign minister.

Later years

After leaving office, Mirfendereski was arrested and put at Qasr prison in Tehran where other senior officials were also detained. Then he was freed, and he left Iran and settled in Paris. In the exile he joined the

National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement (; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla war through its rebel wing National ...

headed by Bakhtiar. In 1984, Mirfendereski declared in Paris that the Shah's cancer had been diagnosed in 1974, six years before his death in Egypt on 27 July 1980 and that it had been kept secret until the revolution.

Personal life and death

Mirfendereski was married and had three children, two daughters and a son. He died in Paris at the age of 85 on 2 May 2004.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mirfendereski, Ahmad 20th-century Iranian diplomats 20th-century Iranian politicians 21st-century Iranian people 1918 births 2004 deaths Ambassadors of Iran to the Soviet Union Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Ministers of foreign affairs of Iran Politicians from Tehran National Resistance Movement of Iran politicians People of Pahlavi Iran