Gholam Reza Azhari

Gholam Reza Azhari (; 18 February 1912 – 5 November 2001) was an Iranian military officer who served as the 39th and penultimate Prime Minister of Iran and 19th Chief of the Joint staff under the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Early life and education

Gholam Reza Azhari was born in Shiraz in 1912 (or in 1917, according to some sources).

After completing his primary and secondary education, Azhari entered the Officers' Academy in 1933. Two years later, he graduated with the rank of Second Lieutenant and joined the Imperial Iranian Army. In 1947, after being promoted to Colonel, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Central Military Police.

He was a graduate of Iran's war college and was also trained at the National War College in Washington in the 1950s. Two years afterward, he became commandant of the war college. In 1964 he Commanded the "Western Corps" or First Army at Kermanshah until 1967, the unit would later to be also commanded by Abbas Gharabaghi.

In 1967, Azhari became Iran's Military Representative to the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). Beginning in 1969, he served for two years as Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff, He was appointed chief of the joint staff of Iran's armed forces in 1971 and his tenure lasted until 1978. He formed the first military government in Iran since 1953.

On 21 December 1978, Azhari, then the prime minister, told U.S. Ambassador to Iran William Sullivan that, "You must know this and you must tell it to your government. This country is lost because the Shah cannot make up his mind." Azhari left office on 2 January 1979 after reportedly having a heart attack. Shapour Bakhtiar succeeded Azhari as prime minister. On 18 February 1979 Azhari was retired from the army in absentia.

Cabinet

His cabinet was composed of nine members:

General Gholam Ali Oveissi, Military governor of Tehran (Labour and social affairs (acting)), Lieutenant General Nasser Moghaddam, head of the Security Police (Energy), General Abbas Gharabaghi (Interior), Lieutenant General Abdol Hassan Sa'adatmand (Housing and development), General Reza Azimi (Defense) Amir Khosrow Afshar (Foreign affairs), Mohammad-Reza Amin (Mines and industry), Karim Motamedi (Posts and telecommunications) Admiral Kamal Habibollahi (Education and Culture & Art)

However, it is also reported that the government was of eleven men and six of them were military officers.

Honours U.S. Legion of Merit

He died of cancer in McLean, Virginia, in the U.S. on 5 November 2001.