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

Amir-Abbas Hoveida Amir-Abbas Hoveyda (; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the longest serving prime minister in Iran's history. He also ...

. He was the leader of Rastakhiz Party during his tenure as prime minister of Iran.

Early life and education

Jamshid was born on 25 June 1923 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. ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. His father was Habibollah Amouzegar, a leading lawyer and politician, and he had a brother,

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

. He graduated from

Tehran University 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 ...

with degrees in law and engineering, and then attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he received a Ph.D in 1950.

Career

Amouzegar served as deputy minister in Iran's ministry of health under Jahanshah Saleh in 1955. In 1959, Amouzegar replaced Hassan Akhavi as agriculture minister when Akhavi was removed from the cabinet of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Manouchehr Eghbal. He was appointed minister of labor and then minister of health in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Hasan-ali Mansour. He subsequently became minister of finance in the cabinet of Amir Abbas Hoveida after the assassination of Prime Minister Mansour in 1964, remaining in that post for nine years. From 1965 to 1974, he headed several ordinary meetings of the

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) is an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize Profit (eco ...

. In 1971, he and Saudi Oil Minister

Ahmed Zaki Yamani Ahmed Zaki Yamani (; 30 June 1930 – 23 February 2021) was a Saudi Arabian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources under four Saudi monarchs from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in the Organization of the Petroleum Ex ...

were instrumental in implementing the series of price hikes that ultimately quadrupled the

price of oil The price of oil, or the oil price, generally refers to the spot price of a barrel () of benchmark crude oil—a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Crude, Dubai Crude, OPEC ...

and provided the resources for Iran to modernize its infrastructure, agriculture, and defense. For this accomplishment, Amouzegar was awarded the Taj-e Iran, first-class, an honor normally reserved for only the prime minister and former prime ministers. He was appointed minister of interior in 1974. On 21 December 1975 he was taken hostage by the Venezuelan terrorist

Carlos the Jackal Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (; born 12 October 1949), also known as Carlos the Jackal () or simply Carlos, is a Venezuelan convict who conducted a series of assassinations and terrorist bombings from 1973 to 1985. A committed Marxist–Leninist, ...

during an OPEC meeting. Carlos was ordered to execute him but did not do so, and Amouzegar was released along with the other hostages after a few days. Carlos flew him and a Saudi to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, where they were released. In 1977, he became chairman of the Rastakhiz Party (Resurrection), having led the progressive faction against finance minister Hushang Ansary's liberal constructionist faction. Soon after

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

became president of the United States, Amouzegar was appointed Prime Minister of Iran on 7 August 1977, succeeding Amir Abbas Hoveyda in the post. However, he became unpopular as he attempted to slow the overheated economy with measures that, although generally thought necessary, triggered a downturn in employment and private sector profits that would later compound the government's problems. On 27 August 1978, he resigned, and was replaced by Jafar Sharif-Emami. Amouzegar did not return to Iran after leaving in 1978. He lived in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the colloquial name of an area that includes a town, several incorporated villages, and an unincorporated census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland; and one adjoining neighborhood in northwest Washington, D ...

, and later in

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

, and was a consultant to the governments of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Death

He died in

, on 27 September 2016, at the age of 93.

References

Sources

* * 'Alí Rizā Awsatí. ''Iran in the Past Three Centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'') - Volume 2 (Paktāb Publishing, Tehran, Iran, 2003). .
''Qajar (Kadjar) Orders and Decorations''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amouzegar, Jamshid 1923 births 2016 deaths People from Tehran Politicians from Tehran University of Tehran alumni Cornell University College of Engineering alumni Prime ministers of Iran Finance ministers of Iran Interior ministers of Iran Rastakhiz Party secretaries-general Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Iranian emigrants to the United States People of the Iranian Revolution Iran Novin Party politicians 20th-century Iranian engineers 20th-century Iranian politicians