Daryoush Homayoun (; 19282011) was an Iranian journalist, author, intellectual, and politician. He was the Minister of Information and Tourism in the cabinet of

Jamshid Amouzegar Jamshid Amouzegar (‎; 25 June 1923 – 27 September 2016) was an Iranian economist, politician, and the prime minister of Iran from 7 August 1977 until his resignation on 27 August 1978. Prior to that, he served as the minister of interior a ...

, founder of the daily newspaper '' Ayandegan'', and one-time high-ranking member of the Rastakhiz party. In exile, he became one of the founders of the Constitutionalist Party of Iran. He was famous for his analytical writings and largely impartial assessment of history. His outspoken manner, criticizing the Islamic Republic with harsh tones, but also directing his criticism at the Pahlavi policies, earned him the respect of many, while at the same time creating many enemies. He was one of the most influential

Iranian opposition The Iranian opposition consists of groups and individuals in Iran who oppose the government of the Islamic Republic since its foundation in 1979. These groups are ideologically diverse, ranging from monarchists to supporters of parliamentary dem ...

leaders in exile.

Youth

Homayoun was born in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

on 27 September 1928 and began his involvement in the political sphere at the age of fourteen. In his younger years he was a member of several Iranian parties, generally with nationalist views opposing the rise of leftist ideas and the influence of the Tudeh party, such as SUMKA. He began as a supporter of

Mohammad Mossadegh Mohammad Mosaddegh (, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of the Iranian parliament from ...

but was imprisoned during Mossadegh's premiership.

Journalistic and political career

In the years following 1953, Homayoun finished his university studies, obtaining a doctorate in political science from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

. After completing his Nieman Fellowship at Harvard, he took on the role of a field consultant in Asia for the New York office of the Franklin Book Programs. During this time, he conducted surveys to assess the distribution challenges in Malaysia and Indonesia. He worked at the Iranian daily ''

Ettelaat ''Ettela'at'' () is a Persian-language daily newspaper of record published in Tehran, Iran. It is among the oldest publications in the country, and the oldest running Persian daily newspaper in the world. The paper has a conservative stance, a ...

'' and later founded the highly successful daily newspaper '' Ayandegan''. In the cabinet of

, he became the minister of information and tourism. Following the events leading up to the

Iranian 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 Impe ...

, he was arrested in November 1978, together with many other former officials, due to the allegations of corruption and power misuse. He escaped prison on 12 February 1979, just after the revolution, and went into hiding. Fifteen months later, he left Iran through the border with Turkey and went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Exile

In exile, Homayoun, was an influential political analyst, writer, and opposition leader. In the nineties he initiated and helped create the Constitutionalist Party of Iran, a political party seeking to establish a

liberal democratic Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal democracy are: ...

Iran.

Personal life and death

Daryoush Homayoun was married to Homa Zahedi, sister of

Ardeshir Zahedi Ardeshir Zahedi, GCVO (; 16 October 1928 – 18 November 2021) was a prominent Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister from 1966 to 1971, and its ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom during ...

. He died on 28 January 2011 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

at the age of 82.

References

External links

Official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Homayoun, Daryoush Government ministers of Iran Iranian monarchists 1928 births Constitutionalist Party of Iran politicians Rastakhiz Party politicians University of Tehran alumni 2011 deaths Iranian emigrants to Switzerland Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in Switzerland Iranian emigrants to France Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Pan-Iranist Party politicians Iran Novin Party politicians National Front (Iran) people Nation Party of Iran politicians Iranian nationalists 20th-century newspaper founders Iranian newspaper publishers (people)