Gholam Ali Oveissi
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Arteshbod A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED Online ...
Gholam-Ali Oveissi (‎; 16 April 1918 – 7 February 1984) was an Iranian general and the Chief Commander of the
Imperial Iranian Armed Forces The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Artesh''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepah'') and the Poli ...
under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He was the last general to head the Imperial Army of Iran. He is regarded as one of the most powerful and adept military generals in Iran's modern history.


Early life

Oveissi's family from his father's lineage goes back to Shah Qara Yusuf Muhammad, the ruler of the Ghara Ghoyonlu dynasty (Black Sheep Turkomans) and descends through
Uzun Hassan Uzun Hasan or Uzun Hassan (; February or March 1425 – January 6, 1478) was a ruler of the Turkoman Aq Qoyunlu state and is generally considered to be its strongest ruler. Hasan ruled between 1452 and 1478 and presided over the confederation' ...
. He is a direct descendant of Eskandar Beik Torkaman, the minister, head of army (Iraq campaign) and personal advisor to
Shah Abbas the Great Abbas I (; 27 January 1571 – 19 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the fifth Safavid shah of Iran from 1588 to 1629. The third son of Shah Mohammad Khodabanda, he is generally considered one of the most important rulers i ...
. On his mother's side he was the grandson of Hossein Ali Mirza, the eldest son of
Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (‎; 21 June 1872 – 5 April 1925) was the sixth shah of the Qajar dynasty and remained the Shah of Iran from 8 January 1907 until being deposed on 16 July 1909. He was furthermore the grandson of Iran’s early mod ...
. In 1937, Oveissi married Sharafat Baniadam, the daughter of Sharif Doleh Baniadam, and granddaughter of Sharif Doleh Bozorg. They were married until her passing in 1972. The Baniadams were members of the Ghaffari family of
Kashan Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...
.


Education and career

Oveissi received his diploma from Iran's Military High School. He attended the Officers Faculty in the same class as
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 ...
continuing his military training in the Military Academy in Tehran where he graduated first in his class. The top graduates of the class were selected by
Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...
to go straight to the
Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...
, an honour given only to the top five graduates. Oveissi sought permission from Reza Shah to be stationed at
Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...
instead where the government was involved in battle with rebel groups. He attended the Military organization in
Fort Myers A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and
Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
(
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
) in 1959.US Embassy and Constructive Criticism of Gholam Ali Oveissi
. Collective biography of Pahlavi men 44. Archive (28 September 2009), No. 1947.
* From 1938 to 1939 he was chosen to command the Military Section of the 7th and 13th regiments positioned in
Fars province Fars Province or Pars Province, also known as Persis or Farsistan (فارسستان), is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Shiraz. Pars province has an area of 122,400 km2 and is located in Iran's southwest, i ...
and replaced the commander of the 6th regiment from 1940 to 1941. * From 1941 to 1943 he replaced the military commander of Fars province, section 13. * From 1940 to 1960 he was chief of the military faculty in Tehran. After 1955 his military career progressed rapidly. * On 12 September 1954, he became a full colonel and served with that rank until 1960 when he was promoted to general in the
Imperial Iranian Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army (), acronymed AJA (), commonly simplified as the Iranian Army, is the conventional military of Iran and part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. It is tasked to protect the territorial integrity of th ...
. * From 1958 to 1960 he participated actively in the military court prosecution of communist officers. * He continued his military studies in the United States periodically from 1960 to 1965, and became a full commander of the Royal Military division of the Imperial Guards. Four Star General of the Army. From 1960 to 1965 Oveissi became a four star general of the Army, being the youngest of his peers to achieve the rank of four stars. * In 1965 General Oveissi became the Chief Commander of the security divisions of the Policy Academy. * In 1966 he served in the Committee of Information of the Imperial Iranian Army. * In 1969 he obtained the highest military rank. In addition, Oveissi served as the military governor of Tehran.


CIA and Iraqi connections

During his exile in Paris after 1979, Oveissi continued his dialog with both the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
as well as
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
. To Saddam, Oveissi was a welcome connection with Iranian sources after the Iranian revolution. As the Shah's last general, he supplied Iraq with essential information on Iranian tactics under the new leadership of Iranian clerics. According to a historical article by the
Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...
, "both sides engaged in conspiracies and plots to subvert the other". In 1980, Oveissi foresaw weaknesses in the defence strategy of Iran, a fact that was warmly welcomed by Saddam. The same year, Oveissi travelled to NYC where he met with U.S. intelligence officials, who then concluded that a war between Iran and Iraq was imminent.


Medals

General Oveissi received many military medals for his honourable and distinguished services in the
Iranian Armed Forces The Iranian Armed Forces, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, are the combined military forces of Iran, comprising the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (''Artesh''), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Sepah'') and the Polic ...
, including: 1) Medals 1, 2, and 3 for his aptitude;
2) Medal of Honor 1, 2, and 3;
3) He was honored with a medal (level 2) for his exceptional effort in the counter coup d'état of 1953 (28 Mordad);
4) He received a medal for being a master marksman;
4) He received the medal of (Taj) crown level 3 Medal of Homayoun level 3;
5) Medal of appreciation and acknowledgement levels 1 and 2;
6) Medal for his tireless efforts and highly praised work levels 1, 2, and 3;
7) Medal for his services level 3;
8) Medal for his distinguished education. Oveissi additionally obtained medals from various countries' military organizations. He received medals from Italian, English, Lebanese, German, and Ethiopian militaries as well.


Personal life

Oveissi married twice. His first wife was Sherafat Oveissi with whom he had three children. She died of cancer in 1971. Oveissi married again in 1973. General Oveissi married Sharareh Oveissi with whom he had two children, Hossein and Shahryar Oveissi.


Later years

In January 1979, Oveissi was pressured to resign and leave the country. He settled in France just before 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 ...
on 11 February. In the immediate aftermath of the revolution, Ayatollah
Sadegh Khalkhali Mohammed Sadeq Givi Khalkhali (; 27 July 1926 – 26 November 2003) was an Iranian Shia cleric who is said to have "brought to his job as Chief Justice of the revolutionary courts a relish for summary execution" that earned him a reputation ...
, a religious judge and then chairman of the
Islamic Revolutionary Court Islamic Revolutionary Court (), also known as the Revolutionary Tribunal (''Dadgahha-e Enqelab''Bakhash, Shaul, ''Reign of the Ayatollahs'', Basic Books, 1984, p.59-61) is a special system of courts in the Islamic Republic of Iran designed to try ...
, informed the press that the death sentence was passed on the members 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 ...
and former Shah officials, including Oveissi.


Death

Oveissi was shot dead, along with his brother, Gholam Hossein, on 7 February 1984 in Paris, Rue de Passy. He was 66 years old. The
Islamic Jihad Organization The Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO; (OJI); ) was a Lebanese Shia Muslims, Lebanese Shia militia known for its activities in the 1980s during the Lebanese Civil War. The organization, advocating for the withdrawal of all Americans from Leba ...
claimed responsibility for the assassination. His death was considered by many as the blow that dealt the most setback to opposition groups poised to overthrow the revolutionary regime in Tehran. Two days before his assassination he was expected to fly back to the border of Iran to lead a counter revolutionary army of officers and men from elite divisions of the late Shah's military that was quartered in 22 makeshift barracks in eight Turkish villages and at five clandestine bases inside Iran. Since Oveissi had strong ties and the support of powerful members of the clergy including Grand Ayatollahs
Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari (), also spelled Shariat-Madari (5 January 1906 – 3 April 1986), was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah. He favoured the traditional Shiite practice of keeping clerics away from governmental positions and was a crit ...
and
Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim Musawi Khoei ( ; (; ; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an Iranian Shia marja'. Khoei is considered one of the most influential twelver scholars. After the death of Muhsin al-Hakim in 1970, he became ...
his elimination was priority number one for the newly established revolutionary government.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oveissi, Gholam Ali 20th-century Iranian people Assassinated Iranian military personnel 1918 births 1984 deaths Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Iranian emigrants to France Imperial Iranian Armed Forces four-star generals Iranian people murdered abroad People from Qom People murdered in Paris People sentenced to death in absentia Terrorism deaths in France 1984 murders in France 1980s murders in Paris