Nader Batmanghelidj (1904–1998) was an Iranian military officer who served in various military and government posts. He also served as the ambassador of Imperial Iran to Pakistan and Iraq.

Early life and education

Batmanghelidj was born in 1904. One of his brothers, Haj Mehdi Batmanghelidj, was a landowner. He was a graduate of the Iranian Military Academy and joined the Iranian Army in the 1920s. He attended military courses in both Germany and

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

Career

During the invasion of Iran by the British in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Batmanghelidj was serving in the army as a colonel and was captured and imprisoned by the British in 1941. He was in prison until the end of the war. Following his release Batmanghelidj became a brigadier general and participated in the liberation forces of Azerbaijan against the Soviet occupation. Batmanghelidj was appointed head of the military office of

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last 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 Iranian Revolution, which ...

. He was named as the chief of the athletic program by

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 ...

Mohammad Mosaddegh 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 1950 Iranian legislative election, 16th Majlis. He was a membe ...

. He was one of the senior military officers who were planning a coup against the Mosaddegh government. On 15 August 1953 Batmanghelidj was arrested and imprisoned when the coup failed. When Mossadegh was overthrown in August 1953 Batmanghelidj returned to the army. He was the chief of staff of the armed forces between 1953 and 1955. Although not assigned by the government, Batmanghelidj and

Teymur Bakhtiar Teymur Bakhtiar (; 1914 – 12 August 1970) was an Iranian military officer and intelligence chief who was the founder and head of SAVAK from 1956 to 1961 when he was dismissed by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In 1970, he was assassinated by SAVAK agen ...

, military-governor of Tehran, participated in the destruction of the National Baha'i Center in Tehran on 22 May 1955. They took part in the destruction of the building along with the religious leaders. Batmanghelidj became the first Iranian ambassador to Pakistan when he was appointed to the post in 1955 which he held until 1957. His appointment was possible through his closeness to retired military officer,

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, who played a significant role in the coup against Mohammad Mossadegh. Next Batmanghelidj served as the ambassador of Iran to Iraq in the period 1957–1958. He was appointed minister of interior to the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

led by Prime Minister

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in 1958 and was in office until 1959. When he was in office he successfully developed a rural development plan. Batmanghelidj was succeeded by Rahmat Allah Atabaki in the post who finalized his rural development project. Batmanghelidj was the chairman of the military group of the

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(CENTO) in the 1960s. His last public post was the governor general of Khorasan Province for three years in the period 1964–1967, and he retired in 1967.

Personal life and death

Batmanghelidj was the owner of Tehran International Hotel which he established in the 1940s. He was arrested following the

1979 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 ...

in Iran. He was imprisoned for three years and went to the United States when he was released from the prison. There he first settled in

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, and then in Washington DC. He married twice. His first wife, Mahin Banu Mirfendereski, died in 1974. He then married Nayer Moluk Sadoughi. He had three children from his first marriage. Batmanghelidj died of kidney failure at the Cameron Glen Care Center in

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, on 24 April 1998.

Honors

Batmanghelidj was awarded the Order of Sepah and Legion of Merit both of which were from the Imperial Iran.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Batmanghelidj, Nader 20th-century Iranian diplomats 20th-century Iranian businesspeople 1904 births 1998 deaths Ambassadors of Iran to Iraq Ambassadors of Iran to Pakistan Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Hotel founders Interior ministers of Iran Imperial Iranian Army lieutenant generals Iranian prisoners and detainees Iranian governors People of Pahlavi Iran Deaths from kidney failure