Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi    ( Iranian royalty, puppet ruler) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 6 October 1919 Tehran, Persia |
| Died | 27 July 1980 (Age 60) Cairo, Egypt |
| Alma mater | Le Rosey |
| Religion |  Shia Islam |
| Spouse | Fawzia of Egypt |
| Member of | The 1001 Club |
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, sometimes referred to simply as "the Shah" was ruler of Iran.
Activities
He was the appointed following the 1953 MI6/CIA Iran coup d'etat. In the following decades, he was a loyal CIA client. Domestically, the country was controlled by the intelligence service SAVAK, which became known for its particularity gruesome torture.[citation needed] Internationally, Iran under his rule was also involved in a large number of deep state activities.
I am not bloodthirsty. I am working for my country and the coming generations. I can't waste my time on a few young idiots. I don't believe the tortures attributed to the SAVAK are as common as people say, but I can't run everything. Besides, we have ways of using psychological pressure that are much more effective than torture... My people have every kind of freedom, except the freedom to betray.[1]
Family
In 1960, rumors circulated that Princess Ashraf, the Shah's twin sister, was arrested in Geneva with a suitcase containing $2 million worth of heroin. Although the details of the arrest remain shrouded in secrecy, it is widely believed that Princess Ashraf was a central figure in Iran's drug trade until the fall of the monarchy in 1979. A 1976 CIA report further solidified her reputation for financial corruption, stating that she had a "near legendary reputation for financial corruption" and that her son, Shahram, controlled around twenty companies that served as "cover for Ashraf’s quasi-legal business ventures."[2]
Related Quotation
| Page | Quote | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran | “The West’s exploitation of Iran began long before the the Shah and bombs fell. In 1872, the British-engineered Reuter Concession handed vast swaths of Iran’s economic sovereignty—from railroads to mining and forests—to a single foreign investor, an act so sweeping that even Lord Curzon called it 'the most complete surrender of the entire industrial resources of a kingdom into foreign hands' ever seen. This laid the groundwork for over 80 years of foreign economic domination. In 1953, the CIA and MI6 deepened that legacy of subjugation by orchestrating Operation Ajax—the coup that toppled Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh for daring to nationalise Iran’s oil. Then, between 1980 and 1988, the United States armed Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as it launched waves of rockets and chemical weapons on Iran—with full Western backing—killing over 250,000 Iranians. Each of these chapters reflects a broader pattern of imperialist aggression designed to punish Iranian sovereignty and protect Western interests at any human cost.” | Scott Rickard | 22 June 2025 |
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Cercle/1978 (Tehran) | 3 September 1978 | 3 September 1978 | Iran Tehran | In August 1978 the Shah invited Le Cercle to Tehran |
References
- ↑ As quoted in Gérard de Villiers (1975), The Imperial Shah: An Informal Biography, page 259
- ↑ https://christianbaghai.medium.com/the-underbelly-of-the-pahlavi-dynasty-scandals-corruption-and-intrigue-in-20th-century-iran-4fe564799042
