Ali Amini (; 12 September 1905–12 December 1992) 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 ...

politician who was the

Prime Minister of Iran The prime minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

from 1961 to 1962. He held several cabinet portfolios during the 1950s, and served as a member of parliament between 1947 and 1949. Amini was widely regarded as "a ''protégé'' of the United States" and a "pro-American liberal reformer".

Early life and education

Amini was born on 12 September 1905 in Tehran. He was a grandson of

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907) was the fifth Qajar shah of Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of the Persian Constitution of 1906, which he approved of in ...

through his mother, Fakhr-ol-Dowleh. His father was a significant statesman during the

Qajar era The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus G ...

, Mohsen Amin-ol-dowleh. He completed his studies first in Dar ol-fonoon and then in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where he graduated with a degree in law from Grenoble University, followed by his PhD in economics from

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 ...

. His PhD thesis was concerned with the foreign trade monopoly in Iran. Upon his return to Iran, he was employed at the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

by Ali-Akbar Davar.

Career

Amini was a founding member of the Democrat Party of Iran, and entered the 15th term of parliament with the party's ticket. His first ministerial portfolio was in the cabinet of

Ali Mansur Ali Khan Mansur (, also known as ''Mansur ul-Mulk'' ()‎; 1886 – 8 December 1974) was the prime minister of Iran for two terms between 1940 and 1941 and in 1950. Biography Born in Tehran, he served as Governor of Khorasan and Azarbaija ...

. He served as a minister in the cabinet of Mohammad Mosaddegh, but broke away from Mosaddegh in July 1952. He was later regarded as a "traitor" by the National Front, because of his collaboration with the post-

1953 Iranian coup d'état The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état (), was the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh on 19 August 1953. Led by the Iranian army and supported by the United States and the United Kingdom, the co ...

government. He became minister of economic affairs in the cabinet of Fazlollah Zahedi and remained in office until 1955. He was then appointed as the justice minister under Hossein Ala' in 1955. He was named the ambassador to the US in 1956 which he held until 1958. His tendencies were pro-American to the extent that they made the Shah uncomfortable. Mohammad Reza Shah in particular distrusted Amini's popularity and friendship with then-senator John F. Kennedy. Therefore, his tenure ended in 1958. In the 1950s, Amini was a candidate for the premiership. He was appointed prime minister in 1961. In July 1962, however, he was replaced by the Shah's close friend and a major Birjand landowner Asadollah Alam. In the late 1970s, Amini attempted a comeback into Iranian politics at the age of 70. He served as an advisor to the Shah during the final days of the

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty () is an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian royal dynasty that was the Pahlavi Iran, last to rule Iran before the country's monarchy was abolished by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was founded in 1925 by Reza Shah, Reza S ...

Personal life

Amini married Batoul Voosough (died 1992) in 1932 and they had a son, Iraj. She was the daughter of Hasan Vosugh od-Dowleh whose brother was Ahmad Qavam.

Honours

Amini was awarded Grand Croix of the Legion of Honor in 1962.

Later years and death

In 1979 and following 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 ...

, Amini moved to Paris, France. There he headed the Front for the Liberation of Iran, a monarchist opposition group. He complained about internal struggles among the exiled Iranian monarchists, saying "We're not even back in Tehran ndthey quarrel over the name of the country's future prime minister." He wrote his biography published by

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He died in Paris on 12 December 1992, aged 87. His body was buried in

Passy Cemetery Passy Cemetery () is a small cemetery in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The current cemetery replaced the old cemetery (''l'ancien cimetière communal de Passy'', located on Rue Lekain), which was closed in 1802. ...

References

External links

Transcript of Amini interview as part of Harvard Iranian Oral History Project directed by Habib Ladjevardi
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amini, Ali 20th-century Iranian politicians 1905 births 1992 deaths Politicians from Tehran Government ministers of Iran Ambassadors of Iran to the United States Prime ministers of Iran Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Recipients of the Legion of Honour Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Burials at Passy Cemetery Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Democrat Party of Iran politicians Members of the 15th Iranian Majlis Iranian monarchists