Nematollah Nassiri

Nematollah Nassiri

Nematollah Nassiri (* 1911 in Semnan ; † February 16, 1979 ) was the former head of the Imperial Life Guard of the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and from 1965 to 1978 director of the Iranian secret service SAVAK .

Nematollah Nassiri was involved in the 1953 coup against Mohammad Mossadegh (see Operation Ajax ). He was ordered to deliver the imperial decree of the deposition of Mossadegh to him. On the evening of August 15, 1953, he was arrested in front of the house of Mossadegh's troops loyal to Mossadegh, led by Colonel Momtaz.

After the coup, Nassiri was promoted to general and, in 1965, replaced the previous head of the SAVAK secret service, Hassan Pakravan , who, according to the Shah, appeared to be "too soft on suspects". The replacement of Pakravan, according to Gérard de Villiers , meant the replacement of an educated intellectual by a man with cutting edge [...] hardly anyone is better suited to head this secret service, which has such a terrifying reputation.

In 1978, Nassiri was surprisingly removed from his post and replaced by Nasser Moghadam . The dismissal is believed to be a consequence of the growing unrest in Iran. “General Nassiri was at the head of this intelligence service, which is notorious for its brutality, for twelve years, and in this capacity was at the same time Deputy Prime Minister and Wing Adjutant of the Shah. In future he will serve as ambassador to Pakistan, ”writes Die Zeit about his replacement. After the Islamic Revolution , Nassiri was one of the first members of the Shah regime to be executed .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Gérard de Villiers: The Shah. 1976. page 396
2. ^ Head of the secret service fired Die Zeit, June 9, 1978 No. 24

literature

• Gérard de Villiers: The Shah. The unstoppable rise of Mohammed Reza Pahlewi . Heyne, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-453-00632-1 , p. 265 .

Web links

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