The Rise of Modern Iran

MIDDLE EAST

The Rise of Modern Iran

By William P. Litynski

From the Grassy Knoll in Tehran, Persia:

Lone Gunman or Patsy?The Assassination of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia (May 1, 1896)

“I’m just a patsy!”: Persian “patsy” Mirza Reza Kermani assassinates Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar (“Shah Nasser”), the Shah of Persia, at the Shah-Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey, Persia (located 6 miles south of Tehran) on Friday, May 1, 1896.

Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar (16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896), the Shah of Persia, was assassinated by Persian “patsy” Mirza Reza Kermani, a follower of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, when he was visiting and praying at the Shah-Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey, Persia on May 1, 1896. Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar died immediately from gunshot wounds. Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar was the Shah of Persia from September 17, 1848 to May 1, 1896.

“On Thursday, the 30th of April, it was announced that the Shah would pay a visit to the shrine of Shahzadeb-Abdul-Azim, situated about 6 miles south of Teheran, on the site of the ancient city of Rhey, or Rhages. This previous notice gave the assassin time to mature his plans. Friday being the Mohammedan day of rest, generally large numbers avail themselves of the opportunity to pay their devotions at the tomb of the saint. It has always been customary when the Shah entered the court of the shrine to turn out the ordinary visitors and make it quite private. On this occasion, however, the Shah refused his sanction to this precaution, and said he would go in with the people, and gave orders to have his prayer carpet taken into the inner sanctuary containing the shrine. This was about midday. On the Shah entering the sanctuary, a man standing behind some women (not disguised, as at first reported) pushed forward, and, under the pretense of presenting a petition, fired a revolver at his heart. One of his attendants rushed forward and took hold of His Majesty, who, after walking a few paces, sat down and expired. The body was immediately brought back to Teheran and an examination made by the Shah's European physician, assisted by Dr. Wishard and other European doctors, and the cause of death being proved, an explanatory certificate was drawn up and signed.”– Letter of Mr. Alexander McDonald, U.S. Minister to Persia (1893-1897), to Mr. Olney, Legation of the United States in Tehran, Persia, May 4, 1896 (No. 241, Dip. Ser.)(Source: Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, with The Annual Message of the President transmitted to Congress December 7, 1896 and the Annual Report of the Secretary of State (1897), p. 489

Shah-Abdol-Azim Shrine in Rey, Iran, where Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was assassinated by a “lone gunman”

The Lying in State of the body of the late Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia, in the Tekkieh Dawlat in May 1896

Mirza Reza Kermani, the “lone gunman” who assassinated Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, is seen wearing chains in 1896. Kermani was executed on August 10, 1896 after months of interrogation. The assassination marked a turning point in Iranian Constitutional Revolution.(Photo: http://www.fouman.com/Y/Picture_View-Qajar_Naseroddin_Shah_Assassin_Mirza_Reza_Kermani_1896.htm)

Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (center), Shah of Iran (8 January 1907-16 July 1909), with his young son Ahmad Shah Qajar and Vladimir Liakhov (standing behind Ahmad Shah), the Commander of Persian Cossack Brigade and Military Governor of Tehran. Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, with the help of Vladimir Liakhov, shelled the Iranian Parliament and executed several constitutionalist leaders.(Photo: http://farsizaban.tumblr.com/post/28531484054/mohammad-ali-shah-qajar-with-his-young-son-ahmad)

Assassination attempt on Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar (1872-1925), Shah of Persia, on February 28, 1908. The Shah of Persia escaped unharmed. (Illustration from French newspaper Le Petit Parisien. March 15, 1908)

Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar punishes the Mayor of Tehran (shortly after a failed Assassination Attempt against him) in a sign of anger. (Source: French Daily Le Petit Journal, Sunday, March 15th, 1908)

Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar was the Shah of Persia from January 8, 1907 to July 16, 1909. He was against the constitution that was ratified during the reign of his father, Mozzafar-al-Din Shah. In 1907 Mohammad Ali dissolved Majles (Iranian parliament/National assembly) and declared the Constitution abolished because it was contrary to Islamic law. He bombarded the Majles with the military and political support of Russia and Britain.[However, he abdicated following a new Constitutional Revolution and he was remembered as a symbol of dictatorship. He fled to Odessa, Russia. Mohammad Ali plotted his return to power from Odessa. In 1911 he landed at Astarabad, Iran, but his forces were defeated. Mohammad Ali Shah fled to Constantinople and died in San Remo, Italy on April 5, 1925 (bur. Shrine of Imam Husain, Karbala, Iraq). His son and successor, Ahmad Shah Qajar was the last ruler in the Qajar dynasty.

The Fall of the Qajar Dynasty and the Rise of the Pahlavi Dynasty

Left: Ahmad Shah Qājār (21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia from July 16, 1909 to October 31, 1925. Ahmad Shah Qajar was reduced to a figurehead in a military coup on February 21, 1921 by his Minister of War and Commander of the Cossack Garrison Colonel Reza Khan (later Reza [Khan] Shah Pahlavi on went into exile in 1923.

Right: Reza [Khan] Shah Pahlavi (March 15, 1878 – July 26, 1944), the Shah of Persia, governs from the Peacock Throne in Tehran in 1928. Reza [Khan] Shah Pahlavi governed Persia (renamed Iran in 1935) as the Shah from December 15, 1925 until September 16, 1941, when the British army deposed him and exiled him to South Africa. Reza [Khan] Shah Pahlavi served as Prime Minister of Iran from October 28, 1923 to November 1, 1925. Reza [Khan] Shah Pahlavi, the pro-Nazi Shah of the Imperial State of Iran (1925-1941) and an admirer of Adolf Hitler, changed the name of his country from Persia to Iran, a Farsi word for “Aryan”, in 1935. Reza Shah Pahlavi lived in exile in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he died on July 26, 1944. Reza Shah Pahlavi declared Iran a neutral nation at the beginning of World War II.

Ceremonies in connection with the coronation of Reza Khan as monarch of Persia have been taking place in Teheran. The erstwhile groom, after having deposed the reigning ruler, made himself dictator and finally supreme ruler. Reza Kahn reading at the Constitutional Assembly during ceremonies. January 7, 1926. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

Reza Khan, a former private soldier who became Premier and then seized the Persian throne, founded a new dynasty while the weak legitimate ruler squandered his time and money in France, crowned himself the Shah of Persia on May 22, 1926. This exclusive photo taken at the actual ceremonies, which was the most elaborate in generations, shows a part of the Persian Army at the coronation in Tehran, Persia on May 22, 1926. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (left), the President of the Republic of Turkey, greets the Shah of Persia during the Shah’s visit to Ankara, Turkey on June 27, 1934. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

The royal court of Ahmad Shah, the last Qajar king (third from right) and Reza Khan (third from left) who was later to establish Pahlavi dynasty, Sardar Zafar 2nd from left, Sardar Jang 1st from right.(Photo: http://fouman.com/Y/Picture_View-Ahmad_Shah_Reza_Khan.htm)

A Goodyear Tire Company office on Saadi Street in Tehran, Iran in 1941, at the time of the Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran(Photo: http://fouman.com/Y/Picture_View-1941_Saadi_Street_Tehran.htm)

Chief Office of the Imperial Bank of Persia, the central bank of Persia, in 1938

Territorial Changes of Persia/Iran

Flag of the Imperial State of Iran (1925-1979)

Signed Photograph of Adolf Hitler for Reza Shah Pahlavi in Original Frame with the Swastika and Adolf Hitler’s (AH) Sign – Sahebgharanie Palace – Niavaran Palace Complex. The text below the photograph: “His Imperial Majesty - Reza Shah Pahlavi - Shahanshah of Iran - With the Best Wishes - Berlin 12 March 1936 - The signature of Adolf Hitler”

The British army (above) and the Soviet Red Army invade Iran beginning on August 25, 1941, just two weeks after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met with U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Newfoundland. Britain and Soviet Union proceeded to remove Shah Reza Pahlavi on September 16, 1941 and installed the Shah’s son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (the “Shah” who would evacuate to America in 1979). Britain and Soviet Union invaded Iran to secure a supply line from the Persian Gulf to Soviet Russia and to secure Iran’s oil for Allied military needs.(Source: Catherine Legrand, Jacques Legrand: Shah-i Iran. Creative Publishing International (Farsi edition), Minnetonka, MN 1999, S. 41. IR/RR) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brtitishtroopsiran.jpg

Soviet Red Army soldiers riding in a Soviet T-26 battle tank patrol the streets of Tabriz, Iran in late August 1941.

Iranian women appear beside an Allied supply convoy somewhere on the “Persian Corridor” in Iran in 1943.(Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum)

An American train engine transporting allied war equipment to Soviet Russia stops at a train station in Iran during World War II. (Photo: http://www.parstimes.com/history/persian_gulf_command/corridor5/)

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, American President Franklin Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill attend the Tehran Conference in Tehran, Iran on November 29, 1943. Standing from left to right: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Harry Hopkins, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman, British Ambassador to the Soviet Union Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. (Photo: Imperial War Museums)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran salutes Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, on the occasion of Churchill’s 69th birthday at the conclusion of the Tehran Conference in Tehran, Iran on November 30, 1943. Standing on the far left is Ali Soheili, the Prime Minister of Iran. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran was installed as the new Shah of Iran on September 16, 1941 by the British army during the Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran in August-September 1941. (Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shah_churchill.jpg)

Operation Ajax: Anglo-Iranian Oil Controversy &Coup d’etat of August 19, 1953

Iranian soldiers surround the Iranian parliament in Tehran, Iran on August 19, 1953. This incident culminated in the CIA-backed Iranian coup d’état that deposed Mohammed Mossadegh, the democratically-elected premier of Iran.

Iranian people protest against British influence and oil refinery ownership during the Anglo-Iranian Oil confrontation in the early 1950s.

Refineries in Abadan, Iran were closed during the Anglo-Iranian Oil confrontation in the early 1950s.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), led by CIA Director Allen Dulles (a director of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City), staged a coup d’etat in Tehran, Iran on August 19, 1953 in an attempt to remove Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh from office.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, salutes to his soldiers during his return to Iran in late 1953.

Former Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh examines some paperwork during his treason trial that was held in late 1953 after he was removed from office.

Prime Minister of Iran Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi (left) greets Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1953 (press picture released by the imperial palace in 1955). Zahedi succeeded Mohammad Mossadegh as Prime Minister of Iran in a CIA-backed coup on August 19, 1953.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran (white suit), appears with Prime Minister of Iran General Fazlollah Zahedi (standing behind Shah) upon the Shah’s return to power in 1953, following the coup.

Richard Nixon (left), the Vice President of the United States, shakes hands with General Fazlollah Zahedi, the Prime Minister of Iran in Tehran, Iran in December 1953.

Iranian Army General Fazlollah Zahedi, who served as the Prime Minister of Iran from August 19, 1953 to April 7, 1955 (and succeeded Mohammad Mossadegh as Prime Minister), was arrested by British soldier Sir Fitzroy MacLean in 1942 for his ties to Nazi Germany. Zahedi was flown out of Iran by British forces and interned in British Palestine until the end of World War II in 1945. A fierce nationalist, Zahedi harbored deep reservations and suspicions towards the Allied Forces.

Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh examines the Liberty Bell while visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1951. He was joined by Mayor of Philadelphia Bernard Samuels. (Photo: Harry S. Truman Presidential Library)

Left photo: Mohammed Mosaddegh (1882-1967), the former Prime Minister of Iran who was removed in a coup d’etat supported by the American CIA on August 19, 1953, sits alone in Ahmadabad, Iran in circa 1965.

Right photo: Sepahbod Haj Ali Razmara (1901-1951) was the Prime Minister of Iran from June 26, 1950 to March 7, 1951. Razmara was assassinated by a “lone gunman” named Khalil Tahmasebi in Tehran, Iran on March 7, 1951. Razmara was close to ratifying the Supplemental Oil Agreement between Iran and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was renamed British Petroleum in 1954.

Averell Harriman (right), a director of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1950 to 1955, speaks to Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh (Life Photo)

Averell Harriman (left), former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, meets with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran (right) in circa 1951. (Life Photo)

Averell Harriman (left) speaks to Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh on July 28, 1951. Mohammed Mossadegh was overthrown from office in a coup supported by the CIA on August 19, 1953. (Life Photo)

Averell Harriman (left) speaks to Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh on July 28, 1951. Mohammed Mossadegh was overthrown from office in a coup supported by the CIA on August 19, 1953.

U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson (left) meets with Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh.

Mohammed Mossadegh, the Prime Minister of Iran, appears with U.S. President Harry S. Truman (left) at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. in 1951. (Photo: Abbie Rowe/National Archives)

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (left), the Shah of Iran, meets with Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

The Shah & Friends, Inc.: Russell C. Leffingwell (left), a former partner of J.P. Morgan & Co. banking firm in New York City and the Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Allen Dulles (right), President of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of Sullivan & Cromwell law firm in New York City, appear with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the Harold Pratt House in New York City. Allen Dulles was the Director of Central Intelligence Agency and a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations when Iran’s Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Mossadegh was removed from office on August 19, 1953. (Source: Continuing the Inquiry: The Council on Foreign Relations from 1921 to 1996 by Peter Grose, page 24)

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran (dressed in a white military uniform), opens the facilities of International Naval Oil Company of Iran in 1970.

The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company Limited was renamed The British Petroleum Company Limited in 1954, one year after Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was removed from office in a coup d’etat.

A map of oil fields in Iran and the Persian Gulf. National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), a state-owned corporation, was established in Tehran, Iran in 1948.

Iran’s Prime Minister Mohamed Mossadegh conversing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in circa 1951 with M. Nasrollah Entezam, Ambassador, former Minister and the only Iranian to have served as President of the UN General Assembly. Prime Minster Mossadegh wanted to be involved personally in defending Iran's position. Notwithstanding his deteriorating health and old age, he led Iran's legal team to defend the Iranian parliament's decision. (Courtesy of the International Court of Justice. All rights reserved.) http://payvand.com/news/09/aug/1161.html

Figure 1: Representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland on behalf of British Petroleum in the case against Iran in circa 1951: Sir Lionel Heald, Q.C., M.P., Attorney-General; Professor C. H. M. Waldock, C.M.G., O.B.E., Q.C., Chichele Professor of International Law in the University of Oxford; Mr. H. A. P. Fisher, Member of the English Bar; Mr. D. H. N. Johnson, Assistant Legal Adviser of the Foreign Office, as Counsel; hlr. A. D. M. Ross, Eastern Department, Foreign Office; Mr. A. K. Rothnie, Eastern Department, Foreign Office.(Courtesy of the International Court of Justice. All rights reserved.) http://payvand.com/news/09/aug/1161.html

“This “leadership” principle in Iranian social life supported a privileged ruling group, or elite, which dominated the country. Made up of landowners and gentry, with substantial interests in business (especially government contracts), it was also the chief source of high government officials and of army officers. The members of this elite, mostly resident in Tehran, have, in most cases, powerful local interests of an economic, family, and social kind in various provinces and are usually the leaders of these districts. Between this elite and the peasantry is a small middle class of businessmen, professional persons, bureaucrats, and educated people who generally differ from the elite because they are less wealthy, have few if any personal followers, and, lacking personal support in land or family, are much less likely to be associated with local districts. This middle class is the principal source of nationalist feeling; one of the chief features of recent Persian life has been the way in which the shah has shifted the basis of his support from the elite landed group to this growing middle class and to those whose social position is based on know-how and training rather than on wealth and family. Chief roles in this shift have been played by the army and the agrarian question. A century ago, political power in Iran was concentrated in the hands of the autocratic shah supported by the interlocking elite of landlords and army officers. At that time the shah, in fact, was not Persian, but Turkic, the Qajar dynasty of 1796-1925. It was a period in which Persia was a zone of political conflict between the imperialism of czarist Russia and that of Victorian Britain. On two occasions, in 1907 and again in 1942, these two Powers made agreements setting up spheres of influence in Iran. Since these agreements were reached because of their common enmity toward Germany, it was almost inevitable that these agreements would break down and rivalry be resumed on the defeat of Germany in 1918 and again in 1945. It was almost equally inevitable that Iran should seek support from some outside Power against the joint or parallel Anglo-Russian pressure, as it did from Germany before, before 1941, and from the United States since 1946. Iran's ability to resist any outside pressure was reduced by the general weakness and confusion of its own governmental system. This was a personal royal autocracy resting upon a feudalized substructure of tribal chiefs, great landlords, and religious leaders, even after the establishment of a constitutional government and a National Assembly (the Majlis) in 1906. The strong role played by personal influence, especially that of the shah, prevents the formation of real political parties or the functioning of the governmental structure as a system of principles, laws, conventions, and established relationships.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1053-1054

“In the days of his autocratic power, before 1914, the shah sought to raise funds for his personal use by selling concessions and monopolies to foreign groups. Most of these, such as those on tobacco or sugar, were exploitative of the Iranian peoples and were very unpopular. Of these concessions the most significant was one granted in 1901 to William Knox D'Arcy for the exclusive right to exploit all stages of the petroleum business in all Iran except the five provinces bordering on Russia. The control of this concession shuffled from one corporate entity to another until, in 1909, it came into possession of the new Anglo-Persian Oil Company. This company established the world's largest refinery at Abadan on the Persian Gulf and, by 1914, signed an agreement with the British government which made it the chief source of fuel for the British Navy. It gradually extended its activities, through a myriad of subsidiary corporations, throughout the world and simultaneously came to be controlled, through secret stock ownership, by the British government.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1054

“At the end of World War I, Iran was a battleground between Russian and British armed forces. By 1920 the withdrawal of British forces and the Bolshevization of Russia left the anti-Bolshevik Russian Cossack Brigade as the only significant military force in the country. The chief Iranian officer in that force, Reza Pahlavi, in the course of 1921-1925, gradually took over control of the government and eventually deposed the incompetent, twenty-eight-year-old Shah Ahmad. Reza Shah Pahlavi followed the pattern of modernization established by Kemal Atatürk in Turkey but was constantly hampered by inadequate financial resources, by the underdeveloped economic system, and by the backward social development of the area. Nevertheless, he did a great deal of uncoordinated modernization, especially in education, law, and communications. His chief aim was to break down tribalism and localism and to establish national loyalty to a unified Iran. To this end he defeated the autonomous tribes, settled nomadic groups in villages, shifted provincial boundaries to break up local loyalties, created a national civil service and police force, established a national registration with identity cards for all, and used universal conscription to mingle various groups in a national army. One of his chief efforts, to improve communications and transportation, culminated in the Trans-Iranian Railway from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, built in eleven years (1929-1940) at a cost of about $150 million. Roads were constructed where only local paths had existed before, and some effort was made to establish industries to provide work for a new urban class. All these projects required money, which was very difficult to find in a country of limited natural resources. The chief resource, oil, was tied up completely in the concession held by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later called Anglo-Iranian or AIOC), with the inevitable result that it became the target of the Iranian nationalist desire for additional development funds. In this struggle the older elite of Iranian life, including the shah, the army, and the landlords would have been satisfied with a renegotiated deal with AIOC yielding additional funds to Iran, but the newer urban groups of professional and commercial origin combined with the religious agitators to demand the complete removal of foreign economic influence by nationalization of the petroleum industry.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1054-1055

“In this division within Iran, control of the situation gradually moved from the older elite to the newer nationalist groups for a variety of reasons. The years of the world depression, the financial crisis, and the Second World War greatly intensified all the objectionable features of the AIOC system and, at the same time, seemed to show that no new agreement with the company could remedy these objections. Such a new agreement had been made in 1933, but the situation became worse (from the Iranian nationalist point of view). Accordingly, when the government in 1950 tried to obtain a new supplemental agreement, nationalist feeling rose quickly against it and demanded complete nationalization of the oil business instead. In June 1950, the shah put in as prime minister his man, General Ali Razmara, formerly chief of the General Staff:, to force through the supplemental agreement. Opposing groups introduced nationalization bills in opposition to the government. Gradually the nationalization forces began to coalesce about a strange figure, Dr. Muhammad Mossadegh of an old, wealthy, landed family which had served the Qajar dynasty as ministers of finance since the eighteenth century. Mossadegh was a Westernizer with an earned doctorate in economics from a Swiss university, a man of great personal courage and few personal ambitions or desires, who was convinced that national independence could be established and the obvious corruption of Iranian political life eliminated only by the recovery of Iranian control of its own economic life by nationalization of AIOC. Politically he was a moderate, but his strong emotional appeal to Iranian nationalism encouraged extremist reactions among his followers. Long and fruitless discussions between AIOC and the Iranian government, with constant interference by the British government led to stalemate. The company insisted that its status was based on a contractual agreement which could not be modified without its consent, while the British government maintained that the agreement was a matter of international public law, like a treaty, which it had a right to enforce. The Iranian government declared that it had the right as a sovereign state to nationalize an Iranian corporation operating under its law on its territory, subject only to adequate compensation and assumption of its contractual obligations.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1055-1056

“The Iranian nationalist arguments against the company were numerous and detailed:1. It had promised to train Iranians for all positions possible, but instead had used these only in menial tasks, trained few natives, and employed many foreigners.2. It had reduced its payments to Iran, which were based on its profits, by reducing the amount of its profits by bookkeeping tricks. For example, it sold oil at very low prices to wholly owned subsidiaries outside Iran or to the British Navy, allowing the former to resell at world prices so that AIOC made small profits, while the subsidiaries made very large profits not subject to Iranian royalty obligations. Iran believed that the profits of such wholly owned subsidiaries were really part of AIOC and should fall under the consolidated balance sheet of AIOC and thus make payments to Iran, but as late as 1950 AIOC admitted that the accounts of 59 such dummy corporations were not included in the AIOC accounts.3. AIOC generally refused to pay Iranian taxes, especially income tax, but paid such taxes to Britain; at the same time, it calculated the Iranian profit royalties after such taxes, so that the higher British taxes went, the less the Iranian payment became. In effect, thus, Iran paid income tax to Britain. In r933 AIOC paid £305,418 in British taxation and £274,412 in Iranian taxes; in 1948 the two figures were £28,310,353 and £1,369,328.4. The payment to Iran was also reduced by putting profits into reserves or into company investments outside Iran, often in subsidiaries, and calculating the Iranian share only on the profits distributed as dividends. Thus in 1947, when profits were really £40.5 million, almost £14.9 million went to British income tax, £11.5 million went to reserves, over £7.l million went to stockholders (of which £3.3 million to the British government), and only £7.1 million to Iran. If the payment to Iran had been calculated before taxes and reserves, it would have been at least £6 million more that year.5. Moreover, AIOC was exempt from Iranian customs tariffs on goods necessary to its operation brought into the country. Since it considered everything it brought in, whatever it was, to be necessary, it deprived Iran of about £6 million a year by this.6. The company paid only a very small portion of the social costs of its operations in Persia, drawing many persons to arid and uninhabited portions of the country and then providing very little of the costs of housing, education, or health.7. The AIOC, as a member of the international petroleum cartel, reduced its oil production in Iran and thus reduced Iran's royalties.8. The AIOC continued to calculate its payments to Iran in gold at £8.10s. per ounce for years after the world gold price had risen to £l3 an ounce, while the American corporation, Aramco, in Saudi Arabia raised its gold price on demand.9. The AIOC's monopoly on oil export from Iran prevented development of other Iranian oil fields in areas outside the AIOC concession.As a consequence of all these activities, the Iranian nationalists of 1952 felt angered to think that Iran had given up 300 million tons of oil over fifty years and received £105 million, while Britain had invested only £20 million and obtained about £800 million in profits.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1056-1057

(Note: Dr. Carroll Quigley was one of former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s professors while Clinton was a student at Georgetown University.)

“The Iranian opposition to nationalization was broken in March 1951, when the prime minister, Ali Razmara, and his minister of education were assassinated within a space of two weeks. The nationalization law was passed the following month and, at the same time, at the request of the Majlis, the shah appointed Mossadegh prime minister to carry it out. This was done with considerable turmoil, which included strikes by AIOC workers against mistimed British wage cuts, anti-British street riots, and the arrival of British gunboats at the head of the Persian Gulf. Rather than give up the enterprise or operate it for the Iranian government, AIOC began to curtail operations and ship home its engineers. On May 25, 1951, it appealed to the International Court of Justice in spite of Iranian protests that the case was a domestic one, not international. Only on July 22, 1952, did the court's decision uphold Iran’s contention by refusing jurisdiction. At first the United States, and especially its ambassador in Tehran, supported the Iranian position. It feared that British recalcitrance would drive Iran toward Russia, and was especially alarmed at the possibility of any landing of British forces, since this would allow the Soviet Union to invade the North Iranian provinces as provided in the Soviet-Iran Treaty of 1921. However, it soon became evident that the Soviet Union, while supporting Iran’s position, was not going to interfere. The American position then became increasingly pro-British and anti-Mossadegh. This was intensified by the shift in administration from Truman to Eisenhower early in 1953, and by the pressures on the American government by the international petroleum cartel. At the same time, the American oil companies, which had briefly hoped that they might replace AIOC in the Persian area, decided that their united front with AIOC in the world cartel was more valuable to them. This world oil cartel had developed from a tripartite agreement signed on September 17, 1928 by Royal Dutch-Shell, Anglo-Iranian, and Standard Oil. The three signers were Sir Henri Deterding of Shell, Sir John (later Lord) Cadman of AIOC, and Walter C. Teagle of Esso. These agreed to manage oil prices on the world market by charging an agreed fixed price plus freight costs, and to store surplus oil which might weaken the fixed price level. By 1949 the cartel had as members the seven greatest oil companies of the world Anglo-Iranian, Royal Dutch-Shell, Esso, Calso, Socony-Vacuum, Gulf, and Texaco). Excluding the United States domestic market, the Soviet Union, and Mexico, it controlled 92 percent of the world's reserves of oil, 88 percent of the world's production, 77 percent of the world's refining capacity, and 70 percent of the world's tonnage in ocean tankers. As soon as Britain lost its case in the International Court of Justice and it became clear that Iran would go ahead with its nationalization, Britain put into effect a series of reprisals against Iran which rapidly crippled the country. Iranian funds in Britain were blocked; its purchases in British-controlled markets were interrupted; and its efforts to sell oil abroad were frustrated by a combination of the British Navy and the world oil cartel (which closed its sales and distribution facilities to Iranian oil). These cut off a substantial portion of the Iranian government's revenues and forced a drastic curtailment of government expenditures.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1057-1058

“To deal with this situation, especially to cut the military budget, Mossadegh, in July 1952, asked for full powers from the Assembly. He was refused and resigned, but the Ahmad Ghavam government which replaced him lasted only six days, resigning under pressure of pro-Mossadegh street riots. Back in office, Mossadegh obtained dictatorial power for six months. He broke off diplomatic relations with the British, closed down nine British consular offices, deported various British economic and cultural groups, and dismissed both the Senate and the Iranian Supreme Court, which were beginning to question his actions. By that time (summer, 1953) almost irresistible forces were building up against Mossadegh, since lack of Soviet interference gave the West full freedom of action. The British, the AIOC, the world petroleum cartel, the American government, and the older Iranian elite led by the shah combined to crush Mossadegh. The chief effort came from the American super-secret intelligence agency (CIA) under the personal direction of its director, Allen W. Dulles, brother of the secretary of state. Dulles, as a former director of the Schroeder Bank in New York, was an old associate of Frank C. Tiarks, a partner in the Schroeder Bank in London since 1902, and a director of the Bank of England in 1912-1945, as well as Lazard Brothers Bank, and the AIOC. It will be recalled that the Schroeder Bank in Cologne helped to arrange Hitler's accession to power as chancellor in January 1933. Managing Mossadegh’s fall in August, 1953, was considerably easier, since he left his defense wide open by an attack on the prerogatives of the Iranian Army, apparently in the belief that the army would be prevented from moving against him by his influence over the mobs in the streets of Tehran. But throughout the Near East, street mobs are easily roused and directed by those who are willing to pay, and Dulles had the unlimited secret funds of the CIA. From these he gave $10 million to Colonel H. Norman Schwartzkopf, former head of the New Jersey State Police, who was in charge of training the Imperial Iranian Gendarmerie, and this was judiciously applied in ways which changed the mobs’ tune considerably from July to August 1953. The whole operation was directed by Dulles himself from Switzerland where he was visited by Schwartzkopf, the American ambassador to Tehran, Loy Henderson, and messengers from the shah in the second week of August 1953. Mossadegh purged the army of opposition elements without complete success in the spring of 1953, going so far as to arrest the chief of staff on March 1st. In July he sought to bypass the Assembly and demonstrate his irresistible popular support by having all his supporters resign from the Majlis (thus paralyzing its operations), and held a plebiscite in August to approve his policies. The official vote in the plebiscite was about two million approvals against twelve hundred disapprovals, but Mossadegh's days were numbered. On August 13th the shah precipitated the planned anti-Mossadegh coup by naming General Fazlollah Zahedi as prime minister, and sent a messenger dismissing Mossadegh. The latter refused to yield, and called his supporters into the streets, where they rioted against the shah, who fled with his family to Rome. Two days later, anti-Mossadegh mobs, supported by the army, defeated Mossadegh's supporters in Tehran, killing several hundred. Mossadegh was forced out of office and replaced by General Zahedi. The shah returned from Italy on August 22nd.”– Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1058-1060

“The fall of Mossadegh ended the period of confusions which had ensued since the forced abdication of Reza Shah in 1941. From 1953 on, the shah and the army, backed by the conservative elite, controlled the country and the docile Majlis. Two weeks after the shah's counter-coup, the United States gave Iran an emergency grant of $45 million, increased its annual economic aid payment to $23 million, and began to pay $5 million a month in Mutual Security Funds. These payments reached a total of a quarter of a billion dollars over five years. In return Iran became a firm member of the Western bloc, joined the Baghdad Pact (Central Treaty Organization) in 1955, and provided a close base for surreptitious actions (such as U-2 overflights) against the Soviet Union. The Communist-controlled Tudeh Party, the only political party in Iran with the established doctrine and organized structure of such a party in the Western sense, had been officially banned in 1949 but had supported Mossadegh from underground, w here it was relentlessly pursued after 1953. By 1960 the shah felt his position sufficiently strong to try to pursue a policy of his own, and began to shift his alignment from the older elite group of landlords and army toward the more progressive groups of urban middle-class professional peoples which had supported Mossadegh. The chief evidence of this was an effort to adopt, more or less as his personal policy, a program of agrarian reform which sought to restrict each landlord’s holdings to a single village, taking all excess lands over for government payments spread over ten years and granting the lands to the peasants who worked them in return for payments spread over fifteen years. The shah's own estates were among the first to be distributed, but by the end of 1962 over five thousand other villages had also been granted to their peasants. In the meantime the oil dispute was settled by a compromise in October 1954. The exploitation and marketing of Iran's oil was taken over by a consortium of existing petroleum companies from the world cartel and some American “independents,” with a 40 percent interest held by AIOC itself. The previous disputes were compromised without too much difficulty once it was recognized that both sides had a common interest in preserving the world structure of managed oil prices in order to ensure substantial incomes to both.” – Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley, p. 1060

Hjalmar Schacht, former President of the Reichsbank and Adolf Hitler’s financial adviser, meets with Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh on September 14, 1952. (Source: Hitler’s Banker: Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht by John Weitz)

Lone Gunman or Patsy?Iran’s “Decade of Assassinations” (1946-1955)

By Ebrahim Norouzi, MD & Arash Norouzi    The Mossadegh ProjectJanuary 13, 2011   

Between 1946 and 1955, waves of assassination plots threatened numerous key figures in Iranian society. The majority of these crimes were carried out by Feda’ian Islam, a militant extremist group known for targeting those it deemed 'enemies of Islam'. Led by a young seminary student named Navab Safavi, it also had the support of several religious figures. Among them: the politically influential Ayatollah Abolghasem Kashani, a collaborator in the 1953 coup, and the future leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, then only a mid-level cleric.

It was in this violent political environment that the Majles (Parliament) elected a new Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh. Only two weeks into his position, Mossadegh informed a formal Majles session of a Feda’ian plot to kill him. For his safety, he would remain there starting that same day, May 13, 1951. After a short period, he transferred his office to his own residence, where he stayed for the rest of his premiership.

Though Feda’ian members were responsible for the majority of killings in this period, some were associated with multiple individuals or factions, forever clouding these cases in mystery. After the "Self-Sacrificers for Islam", the murders were usually linked to the communist Tudeh party, elements connected to the royal court, individual politicians or members of the government. Some were also linked, directly or indirectly, to the foreign hands of Britain and America.

Many in the country were targeted for death; some survived, others did not. The chronology summarized here comprises the ten most significant attacks during a span of nearly 10 years — Iran's decade of assassinations.

Target: Ahmad Kasravi Date:    March 11, 1946 Result: Successful

On March 11, 1946, Ahmad Kasravi, a highly accomplished author, historian, linguist and secular activist, was summoned to the court to be questioned regarding complaints from Islamic fundamentalists offended by his writings. There, in a highly brazen act of violence, he and assistant were savagely murdered by Sayed Hossein Emami and an accomplice, both of whom belonged to the newly formed Feda'ian Islam. Emami, who told authorities his name was Abdullah Rastegar, was arrested but was soon set free, due mainly to mediation by religious figures.

Navab Safavi had been determined to eliminate Kasravi, shooting him personally in a previous

attempt on his life.

The bodies of Ahmad Kasravi (right) and his assistant, Haddad-pour.

Target: Mohammad Masoud Date:    February 12, 1948 Result: Successful

Mohammad Masoud, the talented journalist and owner of Mard-e-Emrouz newspaper, was gunned down on Feb 12th, 1948. Masoud’s vitriolic writings attacking the elites, the court, the army and the monarchy were legendary.

No clear culprit was identified, though some suspected the involvement of the royal court, especially Shah's sister Ashraf Pahlavi, as well as Muslim fanatics. Many years later, some Tudeh members said party leadership was also involved. [1]

Target: Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Date:    February 4, 1949 Result: Unsuccessful

Iran's monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, faced an assassination attempt during a ceremony at Tehran University on Feb 4th, 1949, but was only slightly wounded.

Four of the five bullets fired at the Shah missed, and assailant Nasser Fakhrara'ei, posing as a photographer, was instantly shot to death by officers on the scene. When a press card belonging to a newspaper run by Ayatollah Kashani's son in law was discovered on his person, Kashani was arrested and exiled to

Lebanon. Also blamed in the assault was the Tudeh, whose party was banned and leaders arrested. [2]

The Shah's radio address following the assassination attempt.

Target: Abdol-Hossein Hazhir Date:    November 4th, 1949 Result: Successful

Court minister and former Prime Minister Abdol-Hossein Hazhir was murdered by Sayed Hossein Emami on Nov 4th, 1949. Emami, a Feda'ian Islam cultist who had been Ahmad Kasravi's assassin nearly four years earlier, was arrested and hanged in public. The government used the event as an opportunity to suppress opposition. It established military rule, arrested some members of the just established National Front (Jebhe Melli) and exiled its founder, Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, to his village of Ahmadabad. [2]

Ironically, as a favor to the religious establishment, Hazhir had used his influence to save Emami from justice for murdering Kasravi in 1946.[3]

Target: Ahmad Dehghan Date:    May 27, 1950 Result: Successful

Ahmad Dehghan worked variously — and often simultaneously — as an actor, theater owner, newspaper and magazine publisher, and Majles deputy. In May 1950, he was murdered by Tudeh party member Hassan Jafari. Some speculated that the killing was a joint venture between the Tudeh and General Ali Razmara. One month after the assassination, Razmara became Prime Minister.

Assassin Hassan Jafari was executed in April 1951.

Target: Ali Razmara Date:    March 7, 1951 Result: Successful

Prime Minister Ali Razmara was shot to death at a mosque on March 7, 1951. Khalil Tahmasebi, a carpenter and Feda’ian member, was the shooter, though some claim that Razmara was killed by an army sergeant, acting on the Shah's instructions, when Tahmasebi missed his target. [4] [5] There was widespread suspicion that the Shah and his confidante, Assadullah Alam, played a role in Razmara's death. [1] Whatever the answer, the political wrangling of the time actually resulted in the pardoning of Tahmasebi.

Razmara's body

Ayatollah Kashani greets Razmara's assassin, Khalil Tahmasebi, as a hero upon his release in December 1952

Target: Abdol-Hamid Zanganeh Date:    March 19, 1951 Result: Successful

Only 12 days after the assassination of Razmara, his Minister of Education and Dean of Law school, Abdol-Hamid Zanganeh, was also gunned down.

The March 19, 1951 murder of Zanganeh, an unpopular political figure, was attributed to Feda'ian Islam, though Western press reports stated that the killer, Nosratollah Qumi, was a student of Zanganeh's whom he had recently caught cheating. The incident prompted the Shah to institute martial law and a March 20th curfew in Tehran, according to reports.

Target: Dr. Hossein Fatemi Date:    February 16, 1952 Result: Unsuccessful

On February 16, 1952, while attending the anniversary of his assassinated journalist friend Mohammad Masoud, Dr. Hossein Fatemi, Mossadegh's loyal Foreign Minister, himself became the target of an assassination attempt.

The assailant, Mehdi Abdi-Khodaei, was a 16 year-old Feda’ian Islam member with a

4th grade education. Dr. Fatemi suffered extensive abdominal damage and underwent emergency surgery. Although he survived, he spent nearly a year in the hospital and never fully recovered.

Fatemi (2nd from right), moments before teenage shooter fires point blank into his abdomen.

February 17, 1952 press article

Target: Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh Date:    February 28, 1953 Result: Unsuccessful

On February 28th, 1953, Premier Mohammad Mossadegh went to see the Shah at his private palace, prior to the Shah's trip to Europe, ostensibly for medical treatment. Shortly after his arrival, Mossadegh received a message that American ambassador Loy Henderson had requested an urgent meeting with him, cutting his visit short. As Mossadegh left for home, he heard a hostile crowd outside, shouting

slogans accusing him of forcing the Shah to leave the country. He managed to slip away through a small gate that opened to an adjacent building and to another street. When he met with Henderson that afternoon, Mossadegh was astounded to discover that he had no important matter to discuss.

Later, the agitated mob, headed by notorious thug Sha'ban Jafari, moved to Mossadegh’s home and began to attack it. One knife-wielding malcontent climbed a tree and tried to break in, shouting of his intention to kill Dr. Mossadegh. Jafari, who had close ties to Kashani, overtook an army medical jeep and rammed it into the house gate, but was still unable to break through. Though security forces defending the residence were positioned to shoot if anyone entered the premises, Mossadegh decided to escape by climbing a ladder over the wall to the adjacent property, which he also owned, and then to army headquarters.

The plot against Mossadegh, which came to be known as No'he Esfand (9th of the month in Persian calendar), included members of the royal court, disgruntled army generals, and clerics such as Ayatollah Kashani and Behbehani. Loy Henderson's bizarre behavior that day, as well, caused Mossadegh to suspect him of conspiring to kill him.[6]

A previous threat, described in a January 10, 1952 press article

Target: Mahmoud Afshartus Date:    April 19, 1953

Result: Successful

In mid April 1953, Mossadegh's loyal police chief, Brigadier Mahmoud Afshartus, was found to be missing without any trace. Several days later, his body was discovered in a cave outside Tehran, tortured and brutally murdered. Four retired high ranking army officers were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy in his kidnapping.

Also implicated were Dr. Mozaffar Bagha’i, a former supporter of Mossadegh, General Zahedi and three of Zahedi's relatives. The British secret intelligence MI6 was also implicated, at least through their agents, the Rashidian brothers.

The murder of Afshartus deprived Mossadegh of an irreplaceable, loyal supporter in the armed forces. Under the protection of Kashani, Zahedi received shelter in the Majles and Bagha’i, who had a definite role in kidnapping and murder of Afshartous, was apparently never tried.

Target: Hossein Ala Date:     November 17, 1955 Result: Unsuccessful

On November 17, 1955, yet another member of Feda'ian Islam, Mozaffar-Ali Zolghadr, attempted to take the life of Hossein Ala, the Shah's Court Minister.

Ala, a former Foreign Minister and briefly, successor to the assassinated Premier Razmara, survived the ordeal with only a head wound, sustained when the gunman threw his weapon at him after missing his target. Zolghadr was immediately arrested.

Navab Safavi, captured on November 27, 1955.

The attempt on Ala's life was not the last of its kind, yet it marked the end of Fedai'ian's major reign of terror. Navab Safavi, barely 32 years old, along with some of his followers were rounded up and put on trial. Zolghadr, Safavi, Khalil Tahmasebi, and another member, Sayed Mohammad Vahedi, were condemned to death in a military court. On January 18, 1956, all were executed by firing squad.

The Feda'ian's influence, however, lived on. Decades later, the Islamic Republic of Iran would honor Navab Safavi by naming a metro station and a Tehran expressway after him, in addition to memorializing him on postage stamps and public murals. Other Feda'ian terrorists would later join Khomenei's new Islamic government. Mehdi Abdi-Khodaei, who served as a deputy in the first Majles following the 1979 revolution, had attempted to kill Foreign Minister Hossein Fatemi as a teenager. Feda'ian Islam had, of course, also intended to eliminate Mossadegh, but had to settle for supporting the coup against him in 1953.

After the coup, Dr. Mossadegh narrowly avoided execution by the coup regime, yet his young Foreign Minister, Hossein Fatemi was not so lucky. In 1954, he was brutally beaten, stabbed and finally killed by the Shah's firing squad. As Fatemi was reported to have remarked after the coup, during Mossadegh’s 28-month government, not a single person was incarcerated, harmed or killed for political reasons at their behest.

Notes:[1] Fakhreddin Azimi, Iran: The Crisis of Democracy, pg. 186-7 [2] AZADI Quarterly Review, # 26 & 27 - Summer & Autumn 2001 [3] Stephen Kinzer, All the Shah's Men[4] Homa Katouzian, Musaddiq and the Struggle for Power in Iran, pg. 84 [5] Mostafa Elm, Oil Power and Principle, Iran's Oil Nationalization And Its Aftermath, p. 80 [6] Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, Memoirs

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi & Friends

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (left) appears with the Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi of Iran (center) and her husband Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, Netherlands on May 22, 1959. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands attended the private Bilderberg Meetings conferences from 1954 to 1975. (Bettmann/CORBIS)

French President Charles de Gaulle (center) and his wife Yvonne Vendroux (not pictured) are welcomed by Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and his wife Farah in Tehran, Iran on October 1, 1963. (Photo: Raymond Darolle/Europress/Sygma/Corbis)

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain (2nd left) and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (right) pose with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (2nd right) and his wife Farah Pahlavi during their state visit to Tehran, Iran in March 1961. (AFP Photo)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran appears with Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain during The Shah of Iran's state visit to London in 1959.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (2nd right) and his wife Shahbanou of Iran Farah Pahlavi (right) visit King Juan Carlos of Spain (2nd left) and his wife Queen Sofia of Spain (left).

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran appears with Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain during The Shah of Iran's state visit to London in 1959.

A Life photo of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran and his wife and son posing for a formal portrait on the Peacock Throne

Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru (left) appears with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (second from right).(Photo: http://parseed.ir/index.php?linkid=3669&qlang=en)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran meets with King Hussein of Jordan (wearing a white suit) in Jordan in 1975.

Indira Gandhi (left), the Prime Minister of India, greets Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (center) and his wife Shahbanou of Iran Farah Pahlavi during their state visit to India in 1970.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) renders a salute during his meeting with Emperor Hirohito of Japan in Tokyo, Japan in May 1958.(Photo: http://iranian.com/main/blog/darius-kadivar/modernity-tradition-shah-iran-meets-japans-hirohito-1958.html)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (2nd right) visits Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (center) in Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China in 1958.

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran (center) and his wife Empress Farah of Iran (left) visit Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran (center) and his wife Shahbanou of Iran Farah Pahlavi (right) appear with Communist China’s envoy Hia Guo-feng at Niavaran palace in Tehran, Iran.

President Harry Truman meets with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran in the Oval Office on November 18, 1949. (Photo: Harry S. Truman Library)

Eleanor Roosevelt visits Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran in Teheran, Iran on March 20, 1959. (Photo: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library)

President Harry S. Truman and Mrs. Truman appear with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran in formal attire during the Shah's visit to the United States on (circa) November 18, 1949. (Photo: Harry S. Truman Presidential Library)

President Harry S. Truman (front, center) appears with the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (front, second from right) and U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson (front, second from left) at a dinner in Iran.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower appears with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House on December 14, 1959. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran used the Savak (Iranian secret police) to terrorize the Iranian people and to eliminate political dissent and freedom of speech. (Photo: Dwight D. Eisenhower Library)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left), President John F. Kennedy (center), and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara meet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on April 13, 1962. (Photo: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) meets with Averell Harriman, Under U.S. Secretary of State for Political Affairs, in Tehran, Iran on January 3, 1965. Harriman was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a private foreign affairs organization in New York City, from 1923 to 1986. (AP Wirephoto)

American lawyer George W. Ball (left) meets with the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran in October 1967. This photo appears in George W. Ball’s book The Past Has Another Pattern: Memoirs. George W. Ball was a regular Bilderberg Meetings participant and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Lyndon B. Johnson (center), the Vice President of the United States, watches Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) greet U.S. Ambassador to Iran Julius C. Holmes. Julius C. Holmes was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.(Photo: http://www.msg-history.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=16322)

American Embassy in Tehran, Iran (Photo: http://www.msg-history.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=17598)

President Richard Nixon speaks to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) in the Oval Office on July 24, 1973.

National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger (wearing glasses), Secretary of State William P. Rogers (right), and Assistant Secretary of State Joe Sisco (rear, third from right) watch President Richard Nixon shake hands with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House on October 23, 1969. (Wally McNamee/CORBIS)

United States President Richard Nixon (left) meets with Ardeshir Zahedi, the Foreign Minister of Iran, in Tehran, Iran in 1969. Ardeshir Zahedi served as Foreign Minister of Iran (3 March 1966 – 14 January 1973) and Iranian Ambassador to the United States of America (16 March 1960 – 30 March 1962, 7 March 1973 – 11 February 1979).

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) appears with President of Egypt Anwar Sadat in an undated photo.

President Richard Nixon, actor Peter Falk, First Lady Patricia Nixon, the Shahbanou of Iran, and The Shah of Iran celebrate at a party on July 24, 1973.

President Jimmy Carter attends a meeting with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House in Washington, D.C. on November 15, 1977. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski sits on Carter’s left and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance sits on Carter’s right.

Left to right: Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, President Jimmy Carter, Shanbanou, and First Lady Rosalyn Carter appear at the State Dinner in Tehran, Iran on December 31, 1977. (Photo: Jimmy Carter Library)

President Jimmy Carter appears with King Hussein of Jordan, the Shah of Iran and the Shahbanou of Iran in Tehran, Iran on December 31, 1977.

Left: President Lyndon B. Johnson introduces Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Shah of Iran) to J. Waddy Bullion at the White House on June 11, 1968. (Photo: Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library)Right: The Iranian people welcome the Imam Ayatollah Khomeini at his residence in Qom after he was released from prison in 1964.

“Surely we belong to God, and to Him we will return…I cannot express the sorrow I feel in my heart. My heart is breaking. Since the day I heard of the latest developments in Iran, I have barely slept….. With a sorrowful heart, I count the days until my death comes (the audience weeps). Iran no longer has an Eid; they have turned our Eid into mourning…....They [the Iranian government] have sold us, they have sold our independence…Our honor has been trampled on; the greatness of Iran has been destroyed.” – Imam Ayatollah Khomeini, in his famous speech regarding the “capitulation bill” (the proposed status-of-forces agreement for American military personnel stationed in Iran) he delivered on October 26, 1964.

Note: The Iranian military forces arrested Khomeini on November 4, 1964 and deported him to Turkey in 1965; Khomeini would live in Najaf, Iraq for several years before moving to France. Hasan-ali Mansur, the Prime Minister of Iran from 7 March 1964 until his death on 26 January 1965, had persuaded Khomeini to renounce his remarks and apologize; Khomeini refused to apologize and Prime Minister Mansur reportedly slapped Khomeini in the face. Prime Minister Mansur was assassinated in Tehran on January 22, 1965.

President Jimmy Carter (left) toasts Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran following a formal dinner in the Niavaran Palace in Tehran, Iran on December 31, 1977. According to the Chinese calendar, 1977 was known as Year of the Snake.(Bettmann/CORBIS)

“Mohammad Reza Pahlavi owed his seat on the Peacock Throne to foreign intervention during World War II, and for the next four turbulent decades Iran’s enormous oil reserves and proximity to the Soviet Union ensured that it would be in the interest of the Western powers to keep him there. For the first three decades of the Shah’s reign, Great Britain exercised predominant political and economic inf1uence in Iran, as it had for more than a century throughout the Persian Gulf. This changed in 1968 when Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced his country would withdraw its military forces from east of Suez by early 1971. The task of containing the Soviet Union and protecting the vital oil reserves of the region now devolved on the United States. The Nixon Doctrine, which called for smaller regional powers supported and supplied by the United States to carry the burden of defense against Communist expansion around the world, became the controlling policy, and in the Persian Gulf the “twin pillars” would be Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Shah took action to bolster his own position. He systematically eliminated political opposition and centralized control of Iran’s economic affairs in his own hands. The Shah sought to transform his traditionalist Islamic society by introducing a public health system, establishing public schools throughout the country and making education compulsory for women as well as men, and instituting universal suffrage, giving women the right to vote for the first time. The Shah’s modernizing reforms met strong opposition from Muslim clerics and the bazaar merchants. They inveighed constantly against what they saw as the degradation of Iran's Islamic culture through the effects of westernization and prosperity: the short skirts, jeans, movies, and discotheques. In the early 1970s when huge amounts of oil revenue flooded into Iran, the Shah poured money into infrastructure: roads, ports, airfields, electrification, hospitals, and schools. And he emphasized the diversification of industry, producing an enviable economic growth rate that was unparalleled in any other country at that time, at least for a few years. While the Shah did much to transform Iran into a modern state, there was a dark side to his regime. SAVAK, the secret police, repressed those who opposed the regime or simply demanded a more democratic political order. Over time he became more and more isolated from the realities of life in his own country, and his regime became increasingly inflexible and repressive. Therein lay the seeds of his demise.” – Memoirs by David Rockefeller, p. 357-358

“Prior to the 1970s my contacts with the Shah were confined to two brief meetings: an audience in Tehran in 1965 and a dinner in 1968 when Harvard awarded him an honorary degree. Chase, on the other hand, had long maintained strong correspondent relationships with the Bank Markazi, Iran’s central bank: the Bank Melli, the largest commercial bank; and a dozen other commercial banks. More important, by the mid-l970s we had become the lead bank for the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the state-owned corporation that dominated the country's economy. We had even been able to briefly penetrate Iran's highly protected domestic banking system by setting up a development bank there in partnership with Lazard Freres in 1957. However, the Iranian government subsequently restricted both our ownership percentage and the operations of the institution, snuffing out a promising opportunity. For the next decade I looked for a way to establish a direct commercial banking presence in Iran, but with no success. A realistic opportunity finally emerged in the early 1970s, for which we needed the permission of the Shah to proceed. In January 1974, only a few months after the first “oil shock,” I stopped off to see the Shah in Saint-Moritz with some Chase associates and my son Richard. We were on our way to the Middle East and had learned the Shah was skiing in Switzerland. Richard took notes of the meeting, which lasted nearly two hours and covered many subjects. The Shah believed the price of oil should be determined by the cost of extracting oil from shale, a price even higher than the one artificially imposed by the OPEC cartel. He pointed out that petroleum was a nonrenewable resource that would be depleted within a finite number of years: therefore, a high price would be good because it would force the world to develop new sources of energy. Oil’s most valuable use, he said, was for petrochemicals, and we should use other energy sources for fuel. He insisted that high oil prices were a favor, not a disservice, to the industrial world. The Shah envisioned a golden future for his country as a result of higher oil prices. Iran, he assured us, would become an industrial power and, within twenty-five years, one of the top five economies in the world, alongside the United States, Russia, China, and Brazil. He claimed incorrectly, but I did not challenge him, that Tehran had already replaced Beirut as the financial center of the Middle East and that before long it would rival both London and New York. Our two-hour conversation – the longest I would ever have with him – touched on many topics, from Soviet designs on Iran to President Nixon and his Watergate troubles. Henry Kissinger had told me the Shah was an exceptionally able man with a strong grasp of international affairs. I certainly found this to be the case, but there was also an arrogance that underlay his pronouncements on many of these issues; they lacked plausibility and betrayed an alarming isolation from political and economic reality. The Shah seemed to think that because he believed something, it was automatically a fact. The term hubris occurred to me as I sat listening to him outline his startling vision of an imperial Iran reclaiming the ancient domain of the Medes and the Persians. He seemed unconcerned about the havoc the oil price increases had already caused in the global economy, let alone what his extravagant proposals would generate. A few days later in Tehran, I discussed the meeting with Ambassador Richard Helms. Dick, who had only recently taken up his post after serving as the director of the CIA, felt the Iranians were really “feeling their oats.” Oil wealth and their predominant military position in the Gulf, largely the result of assistance from the United States, had transformed Iran's strategic and economic position. But Helms also noted that "their biggest problem is that they have the money, the materials, but not the trained manpower necessary to handle them. What is perhaps even more serious, the ministers are not sophisticated or experienced enough to cope with the added governmental complications which their sudden enormous wealth is bringing them.”– Memoirs by David Rockefeller, p. 358-360

“I had not stopped in Saint-Moritz to tap the Shah's geopolitical expertise but rather to discuss Chase’s effort to purchase an interest in an Iranian commercial bank. Six months earlier I had raised this issue at a brief meeting at Blair House during one of his visits to Washington. The Shah, who was in the process of negotiating an economic and arms agreement with the United States, gave me authorization to explore the possibility of purchasing an Iranian bank. However, the two banks we had been allowed to approach were, to put it mildly, lemons – badly managed and with negative cash values. When I told the Shah in Saint-Moritz this was not the opportunity Chase had been looking for, he agreed and said, “It might be best to permit the establishment of an entirely new bank. I have recently permitted three or four new merchant banks, so why not one more?” He said he would wire Tehran that night giving the necessary instructions. He urged me not to become involved with small commercial loans but to “do something really big.” The Shah was as good as his word, and over the next year and a half we put together a joint venture with the state-owned Industrial Credit Bank to form the International Bank of Iran (IBI) to finance economic development projects as well as help with the formation of an Iranian capital market. Chase invested $12.6 million and owned 35 percent of the new bank. The Shah’s help had been essential, but it was the only time he ever intervened on Chase's behalf. After Chase established a physical presence in Tehran, it was the bank’s deposit gathering and trade finance activities from which we benefited most substantially. As Iran earned more from the sale of oil after 1973, Iranian deposits maintained with Chase increased dramatically. In addition, our trade finance business boomed because we continued to finance a significant portion of Iran's oil exports. By the mid-1970s as much as $50 to $60 million a day passed through Chase, and Iranian deposits at one point in late 1978 exceeded $1 billion. When Iran entered the international capital markets in the mid-1970s to finance its large public sector projects, Chase took the lead in floating eight syndicated loans. By 1979 we had served as agent for syndications totaling $1.7 billion, of which our portion was about $330 million. These were significant but by no means extraordinary amounts, given that Chase's total foreign lending at the end of 1979 was more than $22 billion and our total deposits exceeded $48 billion. Moreover, none of these financial links depended on my having a “special relationship” with the Shah: they were the result of Chase's leading role in world financial markets. Ironically, we were never successful in attracting the Shah himself as a customer: he preferred to keep most of his money in Switzerland.”– Memoirs by David Rockefeller, p. 360-361

“The promise of the Shah’s regime depended largely on how the Iranian monarch used his newfound oil wealth to reform his country's political and economic structure. There was certainly enough money to do this, but money by itself was not the answer. This was one of the messages that I delivered to him in Saint-Moritz. In 1975, when diplomatic and political relations between the United States and Iran grew closer as a result of the Nixon-Kissinger initiatives, I was asked to join the board of the newly formed Iran-U.S. Business Council, the private sector counterpart of the U.S.-Iran Joint Committee. The latter had been formed by Henry Kissinger and Hushang Ansary, the minister of finance and economy, to explore ways in which the two nations might improve their economic ties. In late 1975 the Joint Committee asked the Business Council to organize a conference in Tehran to advise the Iranian government on the steps they needed to take in order to play a larger role in global financial markets. Hushang Ansary told me that the Shah understood the need for reform and urged that the meeting be convened as soon as possible. I asked our Chase economists to put together background papers for the conference, which I would chair. We scheduled the meeting for March 1976 in Tehran and assembled a distinguished group of Americans that included Paul Volcker, then president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank; Donald Regan, chairman of Merrill Lynch & Co.; Peter G. Peterson, chairman of Lehman Brothers; and the heads of several major U.S. commercial banks. The Iranians fielded a delegation of senior cabinet ministers, bankers, and businessmen. The Chase economists painted a pessimistic picture of Iran that was difficult to reconcile with the Shah's own vision of financial and economic hegemony. Iran had large quantities of oil money and every expectation that this source of income would continue to grow. But almost nothing else was in place to ensure this windfall would be turned to productive use. Iran lacked both an organized money market and a stock exchange; its currency was weak, and its foreign exchange was in disarray. Even more important, the Iranian legal and governmental system lacked transparency, accountability, and credibility, all necessary for attracting foreign investment. The government owned everything of any economic consequence and managed everything from the top down and from the center out, which produced tremendous waste, inefficiency, and corruption. To get anything done required paying bribes, knowing someone in power, or both. The Shah's family and members of his inner circle benefited from this system and did not wish to see it changed. Until these basic conditions were changed, there was little likelihood that the Shah would realize his vision of Tehran as an international financial center or of Iran as an important global economic force. The Iranians were not pleased with our findings. At the dinner that concluded the conference Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda subjected us to an impassioned harangue for exporting “a lack of morality” to Iran. He denounced American companies for bribing Iranian officials and then accepting kickbacks for multimillion-dollar military procurement deals. Hoveyda's remarks were a self-serving, gratuitous attempt to blame the West for problems that seemed to be deeply embedded in the Iranian system. When we called on the Shah to report the conference's conclusions, he promised to study them, but I think he already sensed that Iran's sudden increase in wealth had intensified but had not solved his country's problems. The Shah had inaugurated a process of social and political change, but it remained to be seen whether he would control it or if it would control him. But for the moment the Shah's domestic position remained strong and his relations with the United States firm. In late 1977, President and Mrs. Carter paid an official visit to the Shah in Tehran. At a state banquet on New Year's Eve, President Carter in televised remarks spoke of the importance of U.S.-Iranian relations. He said in part: “Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world .... We have no other nation with whom we have closer consultation on regional problems that concern us both. And there is no leader with whom I have a deeper sense of personal gratitude and personal friendship.”” – Memoirs by David Rockefeller, p. 361-362

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (center) and his wife Farah Pahlavi (right) greet Soviet Commissar Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow, Soviet Union in 1970. (Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fpmoscow1969.jpg)

Algeria's President Houri Boumedienne (center) is flanked by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) and Saddam Hussein, (right), vice president of Iraq's Council of Revolutionary Command, at the Salle de Honour at Algiers Airport in Algiers, Algeria on March 3, 1975. Iraq's representatives to the OPEC Summit arrived at the airport shortly after the Shah. Iraq President Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr did not attend the conference. (Bettmann/CORBIS)

Amir Abbas Hoveida (second from left), the Prime Minister of Iran, appears with Süleyman Demirel (second from right), the Prime Minister of Turkey in an undated photo. Hoveida was executed by Iranian revolutionaries in Iran on April 7, 1979.

Amir Abbas Hoveida, the Prime Minister of Iran from January 26, 1965 to August 7, 1977, meets with King Hussein of Jordan at Tehran, Iran in June 1973.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (center), the Shah of Iran, appears with members of the Iranian cabinet in 1975. Prime Minister of Iran Amir Abbas Hoveida appears to the right of the Shah, and Interior Minister of Iran Jamshid Amouzegar (Finance Minister from 1965-1974) appears to the left of the Shah.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (left) meets with Prime Minister of Iran Jafar Sharif-Emami (right) in Tehran, Iran on August 30, 1978. Jafar Sharif-Emami served as Prime Minister of Iran from August 27, 1978 to November 6, 1978. (© Claude Salhani/Sygma/Corbis)

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi (second from right) and the newly appointed Prime Minister of Iran Shapour Bakhtiar (right), are shown with members of the new civilian government, which replaced the military regime, in Tehran, Iran on January 6, 1979. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi fled Tehran by airplane and went into exile on January 16, 1979. Shapour Bakhtiar, a famous Iranian dissident who was imprisoned repeatedly for his opposition to the Shah of Iran during the 1970s, fled Iran in April 1979 and went into exile in Paris, France. Shapour Bakhtiar, who served as Prime Minister of Iran from January 4, 1979 to February 11, 1979, was murdered by Iranian assassins in Paris on August 6, 1991. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

Richard Nixon (2nd from left), former President of the United States, visits Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, the deposed Shah of Iran (2nd from right), his wife Empress Farah (left), and their son Reza (right) at the Shah’s temporary home in Cuernavaca, Mexico on July 13, 1979. (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

Richard Nixon (2nd from left), former President of the United States, visits Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, the deposed Shah of Iran (2nd from right), his wife Empress Farah (left), and their son Reza (right) at the Shah’s temporary home in Cuernavaca, Mexico on July 13, 1979. (© Michael Norcia/Sygma/Corbis)

The SAVAK (Sāzemān-e Ettelā'āt va Amniyat-e Keshvar, or Organization of Intelligence and National Security) was a secret police and intelligence agency established by the Shah of Iran (left) in 1957 and dissolved in 1979. The SAVAK was known for censorship, torture, and surveillance.

Lone Gunman or Patsy?: Hassan-Ali Mansur, Prime Minister of Iran (March 7, 1964 –January 26, 1965), was assassinated in Tehran, Iran by a “lone gunman” – Iranian terrorist Mohammad Bokharaii – on January 22, 1965; Hassan-Ali Mansur died on January 27, 1965.

Left photo: General Nematollah Nassiri served as the Director of SAVAK from 1965 to 1978. General Nematollah Nassiri was executed by firing squad on February 16, 1979.Right photo: Hassan Pakravan served as the Director of SAVAK (1961-1965), Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan (1966-1969), Iranian Ambassador to France (1969-1973), and chief of army intelligence (1951-1953). Hassan Pakravan was executed on April 11, 1979.

Left photo: Amir Abbas Hoveida served as the Finance Minister of Iran (March 7, 1964–February 1, 1965), Prime Minister of Iran (January 26, 1965-August 7, 1977), and Minister of Royal Court (August 7, 1977 – November 6, 1978). Hoveida was executed by Iranian revolutionaries in Iran on April 7, 1979.Right photo: Jamshid Amouzegar served as Finance Minister of Iran (February 1, 1965–March 1, 1974), Interior Minister of Iran (March 1, 1974–August 7, 1977), and Prime Minister of Iran (August 7, 1977–August 27, 1978).

Iranian Revolution of 1979 &The Establishment of the Islamic Republic

Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 14 years exile on February 1, 1979. He is helped off the plane by one of the Air France pilots. Ayatollah Khomeini (22 September 1902-3 June 1989), whose full name was Sayyed Ruhollah Mostafawi Mousawi Khomeini, lived in exile from November 1964 to February 1, 1979. Khomeini lived in exile in Najaf, Iraq from 1965 to 1978, when Saddam Hussein suggested that the Ayatollah leave Iraq. Khomeini lived in Paris, France from 1978 until February 1, 1979, when he returned to Iran. Khomeini went into exile in Turkey in 1964 after protesting the status of forces agreement signed by the Iranian government and the U.S. government that allowed American military personnel immunity from Iranian laws.

Followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini celebrate his return to Iran from exile in February 1979. (David Burnett/Contact)

Armed militants arrest a presumed member of the SAVAK, the National Intelligence and Security Organization, in Tehran, Iran on February 10, 1979. The SAVAK was the most feared Iranian institution before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.(Photo: Alain Keler/Sygma/Corbis)

SAVAK members Mr. Teherani and Mr. Arach appear on trial at Qasr Prison mosque in Tehran, Iran on June 15, 1979. The SAVAK was the Shah’s secret police and intelligence agency supported by the American Central Intelligence Agency; the primary mission of the SAVAK was to repress dissident movements throughout Iran. (Photo: Christine Spengler/Sygma/Corbis)

Ayatollah Khomeini (left) appears with Prime Minister of Iran Mehdi Bazargan at a press conference in 1979. Mehdi Bazargan served as the Prime Minister of Iran from February 4, 1979 to November 6, 1979; Bazargan resigned as Prime Minister of Iran following the Iranian attack on the American Embassy in Tehran.

Mehdi Bazargan (second from left) appears with Arab terrorist Yasser Arafat (second from right).

Iranian students stand on the walls of the American Embassy compound and desecrate an American flag in Tehran, Iran in November 1979.

Iran Hostage Crisis (November 4, 1979 – January 20, 1981): Iranian college students detain 52 American Embassy staff members and hold them as hostages in Tehran, Iran on November 4, 1979. The Iran Hostage Crisis ended on January 20, 1981. This incident was in response to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran being admitted to America for medical treatment on October 22, 1979. (Bettmann Archives)

One of 52 American hostages seized by radical Iranian Muslim youth in Tehran, Iran on November 4, 1979 (Alain Minam /Liaison)

Arab terrorist Yasser Arafat (2nd left) meets Iran’s spiritual ruler Ayatollah Khomeini (left).

American hostages held in Iran celebrate as they depart an airplane at an airport in West Germany on January 21, 1981. (DeWildenberg/Gamma Liason)

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC, is sworn in on his first day of testimony at the Iran-Contra hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on July 7, 1987.

Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad-Ali Rajai (right) visits Ali Hosseini Khamenei (left), the current Supreme Leader of Iran (Ayatollah), in a hospital after Khamenei survived an assassination attempt in June 1981. Ali Hosseini Khamenei served as the President of Iran from October 13, 1981 to August 3, 1989.

President of Iran Mohammad-Ali Rajai (left) and Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad-Javad Bahonar (right) were assassinated in Tehran, Iran on August 30, 1981 after an assassin planted a suitcase bomb next to them during a meeting.

Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami greets Arab terrorist Yasser Arafat.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Syrian President Hafez al-Assad meet in Damascus, Syria on May 14, 1999.(Mohsen Shandiz/Sygma/CORBIS)

Prince Charles of Wales (left), the son of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, shakes hands with President of Iran Mohammad Khatami in Tehran, Iran on February 9, 2004. Prince Charles of Wales was the first British monarch ever to visit the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Reuters)

Prince Charles of Wales (left), the son of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, visits President of Iran Mohammad Khatami in Tehran, Iran on February 9, 2004. (AFP/Getty Images)

Former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami attends a Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) conference held at Chatham House in London.

President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) appears with former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami in 2005.(Getty Images)

President of Russia Vladimir Putin (left) greets President of Iran Mohammad Khatami in in Turkmenistan on April 24, 2002.(Photo: Presidential Press and Information Office/Kremlin)

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami accepts a book from Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow. (AP Photo)

Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad (left) and Iran’s ruler Mahmoud Ahmadinejad review the Syrian army at the Syrian al-Shaab Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria on July 19, 2007. (AFP/Getty Images)

Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad (right) shakes hands with Iran’s ruler Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prior their official meeting at the Syrian al-Shaab Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria on July 19, 2007. (Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) meets with his Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (L) in Tehran, Iran on February 17, 2007. Bashar al-Assad today arrived in Iran, his country's closest regional ally, for talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian leaders, official media said. (AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) shakes hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) after a joint press conference in Tehran, Iran on August 3, 2008. Ahmadinejad told staunch regional ally Assad today that Tehran is serious in nuclear talks and hopes it will "bear practical result." (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (C) and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) in Tehran, Iran on 18 February 2007. Close allies Assad and Ahmadinejad yesterday pledged they would work together to confront U.S. and Israeli "plots" in the Middle East. Assad is in Iran for a two-day visit aimed at further bolstering already robust ties, his second trip to the Islamic republic since Ahmadinejad took power in August 2005. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R), meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Tehran, Iran on June 9, 2008. Maliki, who lived in exile in Iran during Saddam's dictatorship, is on his third visit to the country as prime minister. Ahmadinejad's March visit to Iraq, the first by an Iranian president, was also hailed as a landmark in ties. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at the latter's office in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq on March 2, 2008. Ahmadinejad hailed a new chapter in ties with Iraq on Sunday, saying he was "truly happy" to make a landmark trip to Baghdad now that Iran's arch-foe Saddam Hussein had been deposed. Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq since Saddam launched a ruinous eight-year war on Iran in 1980 in which a million people died. He is also the first leader from the region to visit since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. (Reuters)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at the latter's office in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq on March 2, 2008. Ahmadinejad began a historic visit to Iraq today -- the first ever by an Iranian president -- hoping to boost ties with Baghdad with which Tehran fought a bitter eight-year war. (AFP/Getty Images)

From left to right, the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, United Arab Emirates President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Indonesian Vice-President, Jusuf Kalla, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua, Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, pose for a group photograph as they attend the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) opening ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 17, 2007. (AP Photo)

A handout picture from Iraq's President Office shows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C-R) reviewing an Iraqi honour guard during a welcoming ceremony alongside his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani (front L) at the latter's residency in Baghdad on March 2, 2008. Ahmadinejad began a historic visit to Iraq today -- the first ever by an Iranian president -- hoping to boost ties with Baghdad with which Tehran fought a bitter eight-year war. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (R) shakes hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad upon his arrival in Baghdad on March 2, 2008. Ahmadinejad arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, the first Iranian president to visit Iraq since the two neighbours fought a bitter eight-year war in the 1980s that killed a million people. (Reuters)

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad greets Saudi Arabian King Abdullah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 3, 2007.

Iran’s outgoing ruler Mohammad Khatami (right) gives some advice to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) holds hands with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 3, 2007. (AP Photo)

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan (R) shakes hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before an official meeting in Tehran, Iran on October 28, 2007. Ali Babacan has attended the Bilderberg Meetings in the past. (Reuters)

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is accompanied by Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, Turkey on August 14, 2008. Ahmadinejad's visit to Turkey may not yield the expected oil and gas deals following new demands from the Iranian side, a source from the Turkish prime minister's office said on Thursday. (Reuters)

Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami greets Iraqi powerbroker Ahmad Chalabi.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) walks with Saudi Arabia King Abdullah (C) and Oman's leader Sultan Qaboos bin Said as they arrive for the opening of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Doha, Qatar on December 3, 2007. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud (R) greets Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 17, 2007, as he arrives for the two-day Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) summit. The two-day OPEC summit is only the third in the organization's 47-year history, bringing together 12 heads of state from the oil-rich nations. In a pre-summit meeting of OPEC ministers yesterday a gaffe revealed a spat between Saudi Arabia and Iran about the waning U.S. currency. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) shakes hands with his Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) in Tehran, Iran on October 16, 2007. The leaders of five Caspian Sea states said 16 October they were near agreement on a final accord for sharing the wealth of the hyrdrocarbon and fish-rich inland sea but admitted differences remained. In a declaration after their summit in Tehran, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan called for a final agreement on the legal status of the sea. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) speaks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev (C) as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad listens at an official meeting in Tehran, Iran on October 16, 2007. (Reuters)

From left: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wave during a group photo in Tehran, Iran on October 16, 2007. Russia joined the four other Caspian Sea littoral states in supporting Iran's right to nuclear energy, in a statement issued after their summit in Tehran. (Getty Images)

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and his Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iran on October 16, 2007. Putin today warned against military action on Iran and backed its right to nuclear energy, during the first visit to the country by a Kremlin chief since World War II. Putin, attending a summit meeting of Caspian Sea states, arrived in the Iranian capital amid heavy security and secrecy over his travel plans after reports that a squad of suicide bombers planned to kill him. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) laughs during a meeting with his Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (L) at the president's office in Tehran, Iran on October 16, 2007. Putin today warned against military action on Iran and backed its right to nuclear energy, during the first visit to the country by a Kremlin chief since World War II. Putin, attending a summit meeting of Caspian Sea states, arrived in the Iranian capital amid heavy security and secrecy over his travel plans after reports that a squad of suicide bombers planned to kill him. (AFP/Getty Images)

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad (righ) meets with Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Damascus, Syria on September 19, 2012.

President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) and Cuba’s communist godfather Fidel Castro hold hands during Ahmadinejad’s visit to Havana, Cuba on January 13, 2012. (Photo: http://thesouthsentinel.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/)

In this photo released by the official website of the Iranian presidency office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, second right, welcomes Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi for the opening session of the Nonaligned Movement, NAM, summit, in Tehran, Iran on Thursday, August 30, 2012. Morsi described the Syrian regime as "oppressive" and called for it to transfer power to a democratic system during a visit to Syria's key regional ally Iran on Thursday. Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi stands at right, and Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, left. (AP Photo/Presidency Office)

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (front row, 2nd right) and Syria’s President Bashar Assad (front row, right) pray at a local mosque.

A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows (left to right) Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist chief Hassan Nasrallah, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arriving for an official dinner in Damascus, Syria on February 25, 2010. (Photo: AFP SANA – Archive)

2009 Iranian Presidential Election Riot

Iranian supporters of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi demonstrate in Tehran, Iran on June 16, 2009. Iran banned foreign media from covering rallies in the country and Iran's Guardian Council reportedly said that they would recount some of the votes in presidential election that critics say was unfairly won by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinehjad.(Getty Images)

Supporters of Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi run in the streets during protests in Tehran, Iran on June 16, 2009. (Getty Images)

Iranian citizens protest in Tehran, Iran in June 2009 as riot police fires tear gas. (Reuters)

Iranian citizens protest in Tehran, Iran in June 2009 as riot police fires tear gas. (Reuters)

Members of the Iranian Basij militia affiliated to the Revolutionary Guard, march during a ceremony commemorating 30th anniversary of the Basij foundation, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iranian missiles on display in a military parade

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed to have Jewish past Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's vitriolic attacks on the Jewish world hide an astonishing secret, evidence uncovered by The Daily Telegraph shows.

By Damien McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat 7:30AM BST 03 Oct 2009

A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots. A close-up of the document reveals he was previously known as Sabourjian – a Jewish name meaning cloth weaver. The short note scrawled on the card suggests his family changed its name to Ahmadinejad when they converted to embrace Islam after his birth.

The Sabourjians traditionally hail from Aradan, Mr Ahmadinejad's birthplace, and the name derives from "weaver of the Sabour", the name for the Jewish Tallit shawl in Persia. The name is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior.

Experts last night suggested Mr Ahmadinejad's track record for hate-filled attacks on Jews could be an overcompensation to hide his past. Ali Nourizadeh, of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies, said: "This aspect of Mr Ahmadinejad's background explains a lot about him. "Every family that converts into a different religion takes a new identity by condemning their old faith. "By making anti-Israeli statements he is trying to shed any suspicions about his Jewish connections. He feels vulnerable in a radical Shia society."

A London-based expert on Iranian Jewry said that "jian" ending to the name specifically showed the family had been practising Jews. "He has changed his name for religious reasons, or at least his parents had," said the Iranian-born Jew living in London. "Sabourjian is well known Jewish name in Iran."

A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said it would not be drawn on Mr Ahmadinejad's background. "It's not something we'd talk about," said Ron Gidor, a spokesman.

The Iranian leader has not denied his name was changed when his family moved to Tehran in the 1950s. But he has never revealed what it was changed from or directly addressed the reason for the switch.

Relatives have previously said a mixture of religious reasons and economic pressures forced his blacksmith father Ahmad to change when Mr Ahmadinejad was aged four. The Iranian president grew up to be a qualified engineer with a doctorate in traffic management. He served in the Revolutionary Guards militia before going on to make his name in hardline politics in the capital.

During this year's presidential debate on television he was goaded to admit that his name had changed but he ignored the jibe. However Mehdi Khazali, an internet blogger, who called for an investigation of Mr Ahmadinejad's roots was arrested this summer. Mr Ahmadinejad has regularly levelled bitter criticism at Israel, questioned its right to exist and denied the Holocaust. British diplomats walked out of a UN meeting last month after the Iranian president denounced Israel's 'genocide, barbarism and racism.'

Benjamin Netanyahu made an impassioned denunciation of the Iranian leader at the same UN summit. "Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spoke from this podium," he said. "A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies the murder of six million Jews while promising to wipe out the State of Israel, the State of the Jews. What a disgrace. What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations."

Mr Ahmadinejad has been consistently outspoken about the Nazi attempt to wipe out the Jewish race. "They have created a myth today that they call the massacre of Jews and they consider it a principle above God, religions and the prophets," he declared at a conference on the holocaust staged in Tehran in 2006.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/6256173/Mahmoud-Ahmadinejad-revealed-to-have-Jewish-past.html© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2011

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows his papers during election. It shows that his family's previous name Sabourjian was Jewish.

Rabbi Moishe Arye Friedman (left) shakes hands with Iran’s President Mahmoud Sabourjian Ahmadinejad during Ahmadinejad's meeting with participants of a conference on the Holocaust in Tehran, Iran on Tuesday, December 12, 2006.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his Own Words

2005

December 14, 2005

"Today, they [Europeans] have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets … This is our proposal: give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them [Jews] so that the Jews can establish their country."(Speaking to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan)

December 13, 2005

"If the killing of Jews in Europe is true and the Zionists are being supported because of this excuse, why should the Palestinian nation pay the price?"(Comments published on Iranian state television's Web site) December 8, 2005

"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces.... Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem? If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe -- like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe."(While speaking to reporters at an Islamic summit in Mecca)

November 27, 2005

"You [the United States], who have used nuclear weapons against innocent people, who have used uranium ordnance in Iraq, should be tried as war criminals in courts."(During a nationally televised ceremony of the establishment of Iran's volunteer Basij paramilitary)

October 29, 2005

"They [the United States] think they are the absolute rulers of the world."(Marching in a demonstration alongside a crowd of students in Tehran)

October 28, 2005

"They [International Zionist and Expansionist Policies of the World Arrogance, i.e. United States and Israel] are cheeky humans, and they think that the entire world should obey them. They destroy Palestinian families and expect nobody to object to them."(Defending his earlier comments)

October 26, 2005

"Israel must be wiped off the map … The establishment of a Zionist regime was a move by the world oppressor against the Islamic world . . . The skirmishes in the occupied land are part of the war of destiny. The outcome of hundreds of years of war will be defined in Palestinian land."(In an address to 4,000 students at a program titled, 'The World Without Zionism')

June 19, 2005

"It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege."(In an interview with state television shortly before his election)

June 8, 2005

The UN structure is one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam. (In an interview on state television)

2006

December 12, 2006

"Thanks to people's wishes and God's will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want…Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out"(Comments to Iran's Holocaust Conference)

November 29, 2006

"What have the Zionists done for the American people that the US administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors?  Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?"(Letter from Ahmadinejad "to the American people")

November 13, 2006

"Israel is destined for destruction and will soon disappear"Israel is "a contradiction to nature, we foresee its rapid disappearance and destruction."

October 19, 2006

"The Zionist regime is counterfeit and illegitimate and cannot survive" (as quoted by Iranian state television)

August 6, 2006 "They (Israel) kill women and children, young and old. And, behind closed doors, they make plans for the advancement of their evil goals."(as quoted by Khorasan Provincial TV) 

August 4, 2006 "A new Middle East will prevail without the existence of Israel."(as quoted by Malaysian news agency Bernama website) August 2, 2006 "Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented."(as quoted by Iranian TV) "Are they human beings?... They (Zionists) are a group of blood-thirsty savages putting all other criminals to shame."(as quoted by Iranian TV) July 27, 2006 "The occupying regime of Palestine has actually pushed the button of its own destruction by launching a new round of invasion and barbaric onslaught on Lebanon" (as quoted by Islamic Republic News Agency via the Associated Press) July 16, 2006

"The Zionists think that they are victims of Hitler, but they act like Hitler and behave worse than Genghis Khan."(as quoted by the Iranian News Agency) 

July 13, 2006

"The Zionists and their protectors are the most detested people in all of humanity, and the hatred is increasing every day."

"The worse their crimes, the quicker they will fall." 

"[Israel] has blackened the pages of history".(as quoted by Iranian state television)

June 16, 2006

"I think we have sufficiently talked about this matter and these Holocaust events need to be further investigated by independent and impartial parties."

"An event that has influenced so many diplomatic and political equations of the world needs to investigated and researched by impartial and independent groups."

"If it is true, then the response to this question should not be solved in Palestine. The Palestinian question should be settled as soon as possible.  If it is false, why should such measures be taken against the people of Palestine?" (a news conference following a meeting with China's president)

May 28, 2006

"I believe the German people are prisoners of the Holocaust. More than 60 million were killed in World War II . . . The question is: Why is it that only the Jews are at the center of attention?"

"We say that if the Holocaust happened, then the Europeans must accept the consequences and the price should not be paid by Palestine. If it did not happen, then the Jews must return to where they came from."(in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine)

May 11, 2006

Israel is "a regime based on evil that cannot continue and one day will vanish."(to a student rally in Jakarta, Indonesia)

April 24, 2006

''We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live. Open the doors (of Europe) and let the Jews go back to their own countries." (In a news conference held on April 24, 2006)

April 14, 2006

"The Zionist regime is an injustice and by its very nature a permanent threat. Whether you like it or not, the Zionist regime is heading toward annihilation.  The Zionist regime is a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm."

"If there is serious doubt over the Holocaust, there is no doubt over the catastrophe and holocaust being faced by the Palestinians. Holocaust has been continuing in Palestine over the past 60 years."(In a speech at the opening of the "Support for the Palestinian Intifada" conference on April 14-16 hosted in Tehran)

February 23, 2006

"These heinous acts are committed by a group of Zionists and occupiers that have failed. They have failed in the face of Islam's logic and justice . . . They invade the shrine and bomb there because they oppose God and justice . . . But be sure, you will not be saved from the wrath and power of the justice-seeking nations by resorting to such acts."(In a speech broadcast on state television, where Ahmadinejad suggested that the bombing of a major Shiite shrine in Iraq by Sunni insurgents was plotted by Israel and the U.S. to divide Muslims.)

January 5, 2006 

"Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Chatilla has joined his ancestors is final."(To a group of Muslim clerics in the Iranian city of Qom, as quoted in the semi-official student news agency ISNA, in a reference to the illness of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon).

 "[N]o Muslim nation would put up with this entity [i.e. Israel] in Islamic lands, not for one moment … If it's true that the [Europeans] committed a big crime in World War II, then they must take responsibility for it themselves, and not ask the Palestinian people to pay the price … Those countries that support this regime [Israel] were terrified at the suggestion that [Israel] should be relocated to their neighborhood. So why should the Palestinians and the countries in our region accept this entity?" (In a speech before an audience in the Iranian city of Qom, aired on television) January 2, 2006 "[The creation of Israel after World War II] killed two birds with one stone [for Europe] … [The objectives achieved by Europe were] [s]weeping the Jews out of Europe and at the same time creating a European appendix with a Zionist and anti-Islamic nature in the heart of the Islamic world …Zionism is a Western ideology and a colonialist idea ... and right now it massacres Muslims with direct guidance and help from the United States and a part of Europe ... Zionism is basically a new [form of] fascism."(In written answers to questions from the public reproduced in several Iranian newspapers)

2007

November 27, 2007

"It is impossible that the Zionist regime will survive. Collapse is in the nature of this regime because it has been created on aggression, lying, oppression and crime."(As quoted by IRNA)

On Annapolis:"We regret that some people fell victim to the cursed Zionist regime and they are mistaken if they thought this meeting was an achievement for them or helps reinforce the Zionists."(As quoted by the AFP)

October 5, 2007 

On Zionist control of the West:"I would now like to ask Western governments to explain which one is right. Are they held captive [by the Zionists] or are they the puppet masters of the Zionists?"

"In both cases, they are accomplice to the crimes of the Zionist regime and they should know that they should be accountable for what they have done."

"They should know that if they are held captive by the Zionists and they do not dissociate themselves from them, they would soon be tried and punished in courts of justice by the powerful hands of nations."

On the Holocaust:"After the Second World War, they created a scenario called 'pogrom against Jews.' All over Europe and the countries under Western rule, an anti-Jewish movement has been concocted. The climate of propaganda and psychological warfare on the one hand and on the other hand using the issue of ovens burning human beings, they have concocted a myth of deprivation and innocence for the Jews of Europe. They use this pretext of the innocence of Jews and the suffering of some Jews during the Second World War. Riding on the crest of a wave of anti-Jewish sentiments, they have laid the foundations for the Zionist regime."

On resettling the Jews from Israel to Canada or Alaska:"...you cannot tolerate the presence of Zionists in Europe but want to inflict them on the people of our region? You have so much land in your possession. This vast land of Canada and Alaska can be used to resettle the Jews. Save yourselves." (Al-Quds Day speech)

September 24, 2007

On aliyah to Israel:"...on the other hand, they gather a number of Jews from different parts of the world through false propaganda and with the promise of providing them with welfare, jobs and food, and settle them in the occupied territories, exposing them to the harshest restrictions, psychological pressures and constant threats.

They prevent these people from returning to their homelands and by coercion and propaganda induce them to malevolence toward the indigenous Palestinian people."  Call for "divine justice" in the international community:"The era of darkness will end. Prisoners will return home. The occupied lands will be freed. Palestine and Iraq will be liberated from the domination of the occupiers. And the people of America and Europe will be free of the pressures exerted by the Zionists."

(Speech to UN General Assembly)

August 28, 2007

"Zionists are people without any religion.  They are lying about being Jewish because religion means brotherhood, friendship and respecting other divine religions…They are an organized minority who have infiltrated the world. They are not even a 10,000-strong organization."

(At a news conference in Tehran)

August 18, 2007 

"The Zionist regime is the flag bearer of violation and occupation and this regime is the flag of Satan. …It is not unlikely that this regime be on the path to dissolution and deterioration when the philosophy behind its creation and survival is invalid." (Address to an international religious conference in Tehran) June 3, 2007

"With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine . . . By God's will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future."(Speech, as quoted by the Fars News Agency)

March 21, 2007

"It is quite clear that a bunch of Zionist racists are the problem the modern world is facing today. They have access to global power and media centers and seek to use this access to keep the world in a state of hardship, poverty and grudge and strengthen their rule. The great nation of Iran is opposed to this inhuman trend. Of course, the Iranian nation will stick to its rightful stance. The Zionists and their supporters do not know that they are using failed approaches to take on human values, human civilization, nations and the great nation of Iran. Admitting the right of the dear Iranian nation and submitting to justice and the rule of law are the best way to salvation and the best way out of the deadlocks they have created for themselves."(from a recorded New Year's message aired on Iranian television)

February 28, 2007

"The Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan . . . Many Western governments that claim to be pioneers of democracy and standard bearers of human rights close their eyes over crimes committed by the Zionists and by remaining silent support the Zionists due to their hedonistic and materialistic tendencies."(to a meeting of Sudanese Islamic scholars in Khartoum)

2008

September 23, 2008 

"The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big

countries have to visit these people, take part in their gathers, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support"

"Today, the Zionist regime is on a definite slope to collapse and there is no way for it to out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters….American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders. Today, the thought of hegemony quickly becomes a demerit."

(Address to the United Nations General Assembly)

September 18, 2008

"I have heard some say the idea of Greater Israel has expired….I say that the idea of lesser Israel has expired, too."

"We have no problems with these people (Israelis) but they should leave the occupied territories, leave them to their genuine owners and get back to their countries and homes where they originally came from."

"The Holocaust is a lie and the real Holocaust is happening to the Palestinians."

"The Zionist regime (Israel) is going towards its final collapse after 60 years of aggression. The final solution would be a referendum on Palestine's future fate with the participation of all Palestinians, regardless of whether Muslims, Jews or Christians."

"Our nation has no problem with other nations, but as far the Zionist regime is concerned, we do not believe in an Israeli government or an Israeli nation."

(Selected remarks at a press conference in Tehran, as quoted by news services)

August 23, 2008

"About 2,000 organised Zionists and 7,000 to 8,000 agents of Zionism have dragged the world into turmoil.  … The powerful hand of the nations will clean these sources of corruption from the face of the earth."

(Speech at a rally in Arak)

"We will witness the dismantling of the corrupt regime (Israel) in the very near future."

(Speech marking "World Mosque Week in Tehran, as quoted by the official IRNA news agency)

May 13, 2008

"This terrorist and criminal state (Israel) is backed by foreign powers, but this regime would soon be swept away by the Palestinians."

(Remarks at press conference in Tehran, as quoted by dpa)

May 8, 2008

"Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken." 

"Today the reason for the Zionist regime's existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation.… (Israel) has reached the end like a dead rat after being slapped by the Lebanese."

(Remarks on Israel's Independence Day, as quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency)

March 10, 2008

"Resistance is the only way to defeat the Zionists and their masters."

(as quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency)

February 20, 2008

"The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast. … "[Israel] won support [from the other nations] which created it as a scarecrow, so as to keep the people of this area under control."

January 30, 2008

"I warn you to abandon the filthy Zionist entity, which has reached the end of the line. It has lost its reason to be and will sooner or later fall. The ones who still support the criminal Zionists should know that the occupiers' days are numbered. … Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end."

2009

October 10, 2009

"The Zionist regime wants to establish its base upon the ruins of the civilizations of the region...The uniform shout of the Iranian nation is forever 'Death to Israel.'..."

(As quoted by Fars News Agency)

September 18, 2009

"They (the Western powers) launched the myth of the Holocaust. They lied, they put on a show and then they support the Jews…. If as you claim the Holocaust is true, why can a study not be allowed? ... The pretext for establishing the Zionist regime is a lie... a lie which relies on an unreliable claim, a mythical claim, and the occupation of Palestine has nothing to do with the Holocaust…This claim is corrupt and the pretext is corrupt. This (the Israeli) regime's days are numbered and it is on its way to collapse. This regime is dying."

(at the annual Al Quds Day rally in Tehran)

May 3, 2009

"Removing present threats requires to put pressure on threat centers. Otherwise, enemies would continue threatening us… [you should] stand up to all threats and make efforts to put further pressure on threat centers in order to get rid of them."

(From address to Iran's academic and scientific community)

April 22, 2009

"Don't be afraid of those Zionists. They are on the verge of death. Their time has passed. Do not surrender your people to them…

"Don't you know the nature of the Zionists? Don't you know who the Zionists are? They came in order to take over our region in its entirety. At first, they said that they wanted [a country] from the Nile to the Euphrates. Once they got settled, they said that there had been a mistake, and that they wanted all the Islamic lands…

"Unless they are put in their place at the very beginning of their conspiracy and fitna, they will jeopardize the security of the whole world, they will jeopardize the security of the whole region… They want the entire world. At their very first step, you must crush their step, crush their leg, so that they do not dare to invade the Islamic lands"

(Speech, carried by Iranian News Channel, IRINN.  Source: MEMRI)

April 20, 2009

"After the Second World War, by exploiting the holocaust and under the pretext of protecting the Jews they [the West] made a nation homeless with military expeditions and invasion…they established the most aggressive, racist country in another territory, i.e. Palestine.

"The global Zionism is the complete symbol of racism, which with unreal reliance on religion has tried to misuse the religious beliefs of some unaware people and hide its ugly face… we should try to put an end to the misuse of international means by the Zionists and their supporters."

(Remarks to the United Nations Durban Review Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, April 20, 2009). More

January 28, 2009

"A brief review of the events after World War II shows that the Holocaust issue - with the dimensions they define for it - is an excuse to continue dominance and expansion of influence of the victors, especially America and Britain in the international arena." 

"The illegal Zionist regime… has demanded blood money of some victims...and have used some of this money to establish a Zionist regime in the land of Palestine, and have used this excuse to attack Palestine and by killing and displacing the people from their motherland they have occupied their mother land and established a Zionist regime, which is tasked with the job of denying an Islamic power emerging to counter the West. 

"The Holocaust is knitted together with liberal democracy. It is the claimants of liberal democracy who support the Holocaust logic and have sanctified it to the degree that no one dares questioning its sanctity. 

 "Today the Zionists command many centers of power, wealth and the world media and unfortunately they have enthralled many politicians and political parties….

 "Also, do not forget that the Zionist network which has created the Holocaust discourse must be made known to the nations..."

(Excerpts from a speech titled, "Holocaust, the Holy Lie of the West" at Sharif University in Tehran)

October 14, 2010

"You are the heroes that guard Lebanon's sovereignty…You have proven that there no force in the world can beat you. The resistance of the Lebanese nation, drawn from faith in God, can stand up to any Israeli force – planes, tanks and ships…The Zionists planned to destroy this village, but it stood strong against the occupiers…The world should know the Zionists are mortal ... today the Lebanese nation is alive and is a role model for the regional nations…The whole world should know that the Zionists will eventually disappear and Bint Jbeil will remain alive."

(At a rally in the Southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, which borders Israel)

October 13, 2010

We "oppose the occupation and aggression and the crimes committed by the Zionist enemy and those who support it."

(At a news conference with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman)

September 23, 2010

"First, the event of the II September 2001 which has affected the whole world for almost a decade.  All of a sudden, the news of the attack on the Twin Towers was broadcast using numerous footages of the incident.

"Almost all governments and known figures strongly condemned this incident.  But then a propaganda machine came into full force; it was implied that the whole world was exposed to a huge danger, namely terrorism, and that the only way to save the world would be to deploy forces into Afghanistan.   Eventually Afghanistan, and shortly thereafter Iraq were occupied. 

"Please take note:

"It was said that some three thousands people were killed on the II September for which we are all very saddened. Yet, up until now, in Afghanistan and Iraq hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions wounded and displaced and the conflict is still going on and expanding.

"In identifying those responsible for the attack, there were three viewpoints.

"1- That a very powerful and complex terrorist group, able to successfully cross all layers of the American intelligence and security, carried out the attack. This is the main viewpoint advocated by American statesmen.

"2- That some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order also to save the Zionist regime.

"The majority of the American people as well as other nations and politicians agree with this view.

"3- It was carried out by a terrorist group but the American government supported and took advantage of the situation. Apparently, this viewpoint has fewer proponents.

"The main evidence linking the incident was a few passports found in the huge volume of rubble and a video of an individual whose place of domicile was unknown but it was announced that he had been involved in oil deals with some American officials. It was also covered up and said that due to the explosion and fire no trace of the suicide attackers was found.

"There remain, however, a few questions to be answered:

"1- Would it not have been sensible that first a thorough investigation should have been conducted by independent groups to conclusively identify the elements involved in the attack and then map out a rational plan to take measures against them?

"2- Assuming the viewpoint of the American government, is it rational to launch a classic war through widespread deployment of troops that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people to counter a terrorist group?

"3- Was it not possible to act the way Iran countered the Riggi terrorist group who killed and wounded 400 innocent people in Iran. In the Iranian operation no innocent person was hurt.

"It is proposed that the United Nations set up an independent fact-finding group for the event of the II September so that in the future expressing views about it is not forbidden.

"I wish to announce here that next year the Islamic Republic of Iran will host a conference to study terrorism and the means to confront it. I invite officials, scholars, thinkers, researchers and research institutes of all countries to attend this conference."

(Address to United Nations General Assembly)

September 23, 2010

"This regime (Israel) which enjoys the absolute support of some western countries regularly threatens the countries in the region and continues publicly announced assassination of Palestinian figures and others, while Palestinian defenders and those opposing this regime are pressured, labeled as terrorists and anti Semites. All values, even the freedom of expression, in Europe and in the United States are being sacrificed at the altar of Zionism."

(Address to United Nations General Assembly)

September 21, 2010

"The question is, why don't we allow this subject (the Holocaust) to be examined further... It is incorrect to force only one view on the rest of the world.

 "How come when it comes to the subject of the Holocaust there is so much sensitivity?"

(In a meeting with journalists in New York City)

September 16, 2010

In an interview, Ahmadinejad blamed "Zionists" for the contoversy over the proposed Islamic cultrual center near Ground Zero. 

"We believe that there's a minority in the United States and they are Zionists . They have no religion. They believe in no religion."

(Interview with Andrea Mitchell, NBC News)

September 2, 2010

"The Zionists are groups of hypocrite racists who have been operating under the pretext of following Jewish religion principles."

(Address at a rally marking International Quds Day).

August 7, 2010

No "Zionists" were killed in the World Trade Center, because "one day earlier they were told not to go to their workplace."

"They announced that 3,000 people were killed in this incident, but there were no reports that reveal their names. Maybe you saw that, but I did not."

"What was the story of September 11? During five to six days, and with the aid of the media, they created and prepared public opinion so that everyone considered an attack on Afghanistan and Iraq as (their) right."

(At a televised conference in Tehran)

March 11, 2010

"See what has become of Israel. They [the West] gathered the most criminal people in the world and stationed them in our region with lies and fabricated scenarios. They waged wars, committed massive aggression… and made millions of people homeless…Today, it is clear that Israel is the most hated regime in the world… It is not useful for its masters [the West] anymore. They are in doubt now. They wonder whether to continue spending money on this regime or not…But whether they want it or not, with God's grace, this regime will be annihilated and Palestinians and other regional nations will be rid of its bad omen."

(In a speech in southern Iran).

February 25, 2010

"If the Zionist regime wants to repeat its past mistakes, this will constitute its demise and annihilation…With Allah's help the new Middle East will be a Middle East without Zionists and Imperialists."

(At a news conference in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.)

2011

April 20, 2011

"They say they want to create a new and greater Middle East under the U.S. and the Zionist regime's (Israel) dominance. I am telling you that a new and greater Middle East will be established without the existence of the U.S. and the Zionist regime….  In recent years, regional nations have realized that the United States and the Zionist regime are their main enemies….  Arrogant powers try to deceive nations. They have put the Iranian nation under pressure to oblige it to retreat but the resistance of Iranians and their steadfastness has led to their (the West's) defeat...." (Address to a large crowd in the Iranian city of Sanandaj)

April 17, 2011

"The era of Zionism and capitalism has passed away." (Speech in honor of Iran's Army Day)

Source: Anti-Defamation League, http://www.adl.org/main_International_Affairs/ahmadinejad_words.htm

Iran & Nuclear Enrichment Controversy

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Facility in central Iran on April 8, 2008. (Photograph: EPA) (Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1347783.html)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) meets with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei (L), in Tehran, Iran on October 4, 2009. The UN atomic watchdog head held talks with Ahmadinejad and other officials on Iran's nuclear drive amid reports it has acquired sufficient data to build the bomb. (Getty Images)

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran on January 13, 2008. (Photo: MEHR) http://www.iaea.org/About/dg/elbaradei/photoalbum.html?id=2008

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran before the start of the AEOI press conference in Tehran, Iran on October 4, 2009. (Photo Credit: IAEA) http://www.iaea.org/About/dg/elbaradei/photoalbum.html?id=DGPressConfIran

Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei (L), and Iran's Nuclear Chief Ali Akbar Salehi (R) hold a press conference in Tehran, Iran on October 4, 2009. ElBaradei said that his inspectors will check Iran's new uranium facility being built near the holy city of Qom, Iran on October 25, 2009. (Getty Images)

Iranian ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh (R), speaks with Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi (L), during a joint press conference with chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei (unseen), in Tehran, Iran on October 4, 2009. (Getty Images)

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei (left) and Dr. Ali Akbar Salehi, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, confer with each other during a press conference at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran in Tehran, Iran on October 4, 2009. (Photo Credit: MEHR)http://www.iaea.org/About/dg/elbaradei/photoalbum.html?id=DGPressConfIran

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei meets with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei met Secretary General of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria on April 16, 2008. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)http://www.iaea.org/About/dg/elbaradei/photoalbum.html?id=2008

Originally started under the Shah of Iran in the 1950s, with the help of the United States, the Iranian nuclear program was an effort by Iran to develop nuclear technology. After the 1979 Revolution, the program was temporarily disbanded. It was soon resumed, albeit with less Western assistance than the pre-revolution era. Iran's current nuclear program consists of several research sites, a uranium mine, a nuclear reactor, and uranium processing facilities that include a uranium enrichment plant. The Iranian government asserts that the program's only goal is to develop the capacity for peaceful nuclear power generation, and plans to generate 6000MW of electricity with nuclear power plants by 2010. As of 2006 nuclear power does not contribute to the Iranian energy grid. (from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Iran)(Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/237790717/)

Russian (left and right) and Iranian operators monitor the nuclear power plant unit in Bushehr, Iran, about 1,215 km (755 miles) south of Tehran, on November 30, 2009. (Reuters)

A general view shows the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Iran, about 1,215 km (755 miles) south of Tehran, on November 30, 2009. Russia plans to start up Iran's first nuclear power station in March 2010 to coincide with the Iranian New Year, two sources closely involved with the project told Reuters. Russia agreed in 1995 to build the 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant at Bushehr on the Gulf coast in south-western Iran, but delays have haunted the $1 billion project and diplomats say Moscow has used it as a lever in relations with Tehran. Picture taken on November 30, 2009. (Reuters)

Red China’s President Hu Jintao (2nd L) and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) are followed by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) as they head for a meeting during the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Shanghai, Red China on June 15, 2006. (Photo: Getty Images)

Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (left) shakes hands with Red China’s President Hu Jintao (R) in Shanghai, Red China on June 16, 2006. (Photo: Xinhua/http://english.people.com.cn/200606/16/eng20060616_274685.html)

A map showing ethnic and religious groups in Iran

An advertisement that promotes Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran’s proposal for nuclear energy in Iran.(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shah-nukeIran.jpg)

Iran's navy chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari briefs the media on an upcoming naval exercise in a news conference in Tehran, Iran on December 22, 2011. Sayyari said his forces plan to hold a 10-day drill in international waters beyond the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, an exercise that could bring Iranian ships into proximity with U.S. Navy vessels. (Hamed Jafarnejad/AP)

Tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman on January 31, 2009.(Bill Foley/AP)

A crowd of angry Iranian protesters stand in front of the British Embassy at Ferdowsi Street in Tehran, Iran on November 29, 2011. The crowd replaced the British flag with an Iranian flag and stormed the embassy compound later that day.

Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran headquarters (right) in Tehran, Iran

Mahmoud Bahmani (left), Governor of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran since September 2, 2008, appears with President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a press conference in this undated photo.

Exiled son of shah of Iran calls for Israel’s helpAssociated PressMonday, April 9, 2012

JERUSALEM (AP) — The exiled son of the toppled shah of Iran called on Israel not to bomb his home country, but rather to help the opposition to the ruling system, in an interview aired Monday on Israeli television.

Prince Reza Pahlavi told Israel’s Channel 10 TV from his home in Washington that bombing Iran would play into the hands of the regime. Instead, he appealed for help saying the Jewish state should put its "technological, financial and other resources at our disposal."

Pahlavi’s father, the late Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, had close ties to Israel before he was ousted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The clerical hierarchy is now headed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“The best thing you can do for the regime is to tell that, ‘We are going to attack you,’ or in fact attack you,” he said. “You will be giving Khamenei and all his clique, when they have no answers anymore to the country’s ills, the greatest gift of all by doing that. That is just crazy. That just doesn’t make sense.”

Israel, along with much of the West, believes that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon. The Israelis fear a nuclear Iran would threaten its existence.

Israel has left open the option of attacking Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail. A new round of talks between the West and Iran are set to begin this week in Turkey. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Pahlavi called the current Iranian regime “fanatic,” but said real Iranians would appreciate Israeli assistance rather than a strike against the nuclear sites, which he said could lead to all-out war in the region.

“Who in this planet doesn’t know that there is a military option, but are there other options?” he said. “The best option is to utilize the best army in the world in place ready to strike, which is the Iranian people themselves. And if you don’t help that, God help us all.”

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/exiled-son-shah-iran-calls-israels-help-182025646.html

Azerbaijan accused of granting Israel access to air bases to mount strike against IranU.S. diplomats and military intelligence officials have claimed that Azerbaijan had granted Israel access to its air bases, which could assist in potential strikes against its neighbour Iran.

By Our Foreign Staff 8:19PM BST 29 Mar 2012

Citing anonymous senior officials, Foreign Policy magazine suggested that cooperation between Azerbaijan and Israel was "heightening the risks of an Israeli strike on Iran".

The article suggested that access to Azerbaijani airfields near the Iranian border could give Israeli fighter planes logistical advantages in carrying out sorties against nuclear facilities in Iran, which the Jewish state suspects of developing atomic weapons.

The Azerbaijani defence ministry said the claims were "absurd and groundless".

A senior official at Azerbaijan's presidential administration said such speculation was "aimed at damaging relations between Azerbaijan and Iran".

Relations between Baku and Tehran have become increasingly strained in recent months with Iran unhappy about Azerbaijan's friendly links with Israel and its reported purchase of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of weapons.

Tehran last month accused Azerbaijan of working with Israel's spy services and helping assassins who murdered Iranian nuclear scientists in recent years - a claim rejected by Baku as "slander".

Tensions have also flared over a series of recent arrests in Azerbaijan of suspected attack plotters with alleged links to Tehran.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9174521/Azerbaijan-accused-of-granting-Israel-access-to-air-bases-to-mount-strike-against-Iran.html

The city of Baku, Azerbaijan is located next to the famous Baku oil fields in the Caspian Sea.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (left) shakes hands with President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right) during a meeting in Tehran, Iran in March 2009.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (left) meets with President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right) in Tehran, Iran in March 2009.

President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) appears with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at a dinner banquet held in Baku, Azerbaijan on November 17, 2010. (Photo: http://en.president.az/articles/1106)

President of Israel Shimon Peres (left) greets President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in an undated photo. Azerbaijan is located next to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran severed diplomatic relations with Israel in 1979 after the Shah of Iran went into exile. There have been reports that Azerbaijan has granted Israel access to Azerbaijan’s airfields. Israel has maintained diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan since April 1992, six months after Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (left) and President of Israel Shimon Peres (center) walk together during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2009.

President of Israel Shimon Peres (right) meets with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov (left) at the President of Israel’s residence in Jerusalem, Israel on April 22, 2013. (Abir Sultan/epa/Corbis)

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (second from left) appears with Azerbaijani army officers on a military base near Iran.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev (left) embraces President of Israel Shimon Peres in an undated photo.

Council on Foreign Relations & Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks at the Council for Foreign Relations on Park Avenue in New York City on Monday, October 1, 2012. Ali Akbar Salehi is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran (2010-present) and former Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (2009-2010). (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami (left) and U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (right) take the stage for a discussion on “The Future of the Middle East” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 27, 2007. John F. Kerry is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

John H. Coatsworth (left), Dean of School of International Affairs at Columbia University, shakes hands with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after speaking at Columbia University in New York City on September 24, 2007. John H. Coatsworth is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. (Getty Images)

ABC News journalist Diane Sawyer (right), a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has an exclusive interview with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, Iran on February 12, 2007. (Photo by ABC News via Getty Images)

Averell Harriman visits Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran. Averell Harriman was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations for 63 years and a member of Skull & Bones at Yale University.

Averell Harriman (left) speaks to Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh on July 28, 1951. Mohammed Mossadegh was overthrown from office in a coup supported by the CIA in 1953; Allen Dulles was the CIA director and a director of the Council on Foreign Relations at the time of the coup. Allen Dulles was a Director of the Council on Foreign relations from 1927 to 1969 and a CIA director from 1953 to 1961. Mohammed Mossadegh was elected by the people of Iran to serve as Prime Minister of Iran.

Council on Foreign Relations member Ernest A. Gross shakes hands with Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad Mossadegh in October 1951.

Secretary of State Dean Acheson (left) smiles as he listens to Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh.

George C. McGhee (left), a Rhodes Scholar, meets with Prime Minister of Iran Mohammed Mossadegh in 1951.

U.S. Army General Maxwell D. Taylor visits Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran.(Photo: Swords and Plowshares by Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor (1972))

President Dwight Eisenhower meets with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran on December 13, 1954. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran used the Savak, the Iranian secret police, to terrorize the Iranian people and to eliminate political dissent and freedom of speech.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran is greeted by U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (left) and U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon (center) as he arrived at Washington Airport on June 30, 1958 for a three-day visit. (Bettmann/CORBIS)

George W. Ball (2nd right), John J. McCloy (2nd left, chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations), and U.S. Ambassador to Iran Armin H. Meyer meet with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran in Tehran, Iran on October 29, 1967. George W. Ball attended the 1967 Bilderberg Meetings conference held at Cambridge, England from 31 March- 2 April 1967. Ball and McCloy attended the 1966 Bilderberg Meetings held at Wiesbaden, West Germany (near Frankfurt) from 2-4 April 1966.(Photo: George W. Ball Papers, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University)

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (left) appears with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (right) in 1975. (AFP photo)

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran meets with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (2nd left, smiling) in Zurich, Switzerland on February 18, 1975 amid tight security for a summit meeting. (© James Andanson/Sygma/Corbis)

National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger (wearing glasses), Secretary of State William P. Rogers (right), and Assistant Secretary of State Joe Sisco (rear, third from right) watch President Richard Nixon shake hands with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House on October 23, 1969. (Wally McNamee/CORBIS)

U.S. Ambassador to Iran Richard Helms, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, presents Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran his credentials at the Shah’s palace in Tehran, Iran in 1973.(Source: A Look Over My Shoulder: A Life in the Central Intelligence Agency by Richard Helms with William Hood)

President Jimmy Carter smiles as National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski shakes hands with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House in Washington D.C. on November 15, 1977.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran (center) appears with U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger (left) and Iranian Ambassador to the United States Ardeshir Zahedi (right) at a party on July 24, 1973.

President Jimmy Carter attends a meeting with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House in Washington, D.C. on November 15, 1977. National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski sits on Carter’s left and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance sits on Carter’s right.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (left) meets with (left to right) Alfred Atherton (Assistant Secretary of State for Near-Eastern and South Asian Affairs), U.S. Ambassador to Iran William H. Sullivan, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, President Jimmy Carter, and National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski in Tehran, Iran on December 31, 1977. All five men on the right are or were members of the Council on Foreign Relations.

President Gerald Ford meets with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the White House on May 15, 1975.(Photo: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library)

President of the United States Gerald R. Ford (left) and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (center) attend the State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

Left photo: Council on Foreign Relations chairman Russell C. Leffingwell (left) and Council on Foreign Relations president Allen Dulles (right) appear with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the Harold Pratt House. (Source: Continuing the Inquiry: The Council on Foreign Relations from 1921 to 1996 by Peter Grose, page 24)Right photo: Senator John F. Kerry (left) meets with former President of Iran Mohammad Khatami at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 27, 2007. (AP Photo via Fox News)

President Jimmy Carter (left) shares a toast with Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran at the State Dinner in Tehran, Iran on December 31, 1977. (Photo: Jimmy Carter Library)

President Jimmy Carter toasts Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran following a formal dinner in the Niavaran Palace in Tehran, Iran on December 31, 1977. Jimmy Carter joined the Council on Foreign Relations in 1983. (Bettmann/CORBIS)