Mohammad Ali Najafi

Mohammad-Ali Najafi (; born 13 January 1952) is an Iranian mathematician, reformist politician, and murderer. He was the Mayor of Tehran for eight months, until April 2018, when he resigned after a video surfaced of him attending a dance performed by schoolgirls. He held cabinet portfolios during the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. He is also a retired professor of mathematics at Sharif University of Technology.

In May 2019, Najafi murdered one of his two wives. He was sentenced to death. Najafi was released from the death penalty following the "forgiveness" of his deceased wife's family. His sentence was reduced to six years and six months in prison for manslaughter plus one year and three months in prison for possession of an unlicensed firearm, but the Supreme Court of Iran overturned a preliminary court ruling, and the case was reopened. In May 2020, Najafi, while being held in prison, said he had paid 100 billion rials (approximately $650,000) to Ostad's immediate relatives and that they had given him their forgiveness. Najafi was released from prison in April 2023, having paid blood money and received a pardon from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Early life and education Najafi was born in Tehran, Iran, on 13 January 1952. He ranked first in the Iranian national university entrance exam, and enrolled in the Sharif University of Technology (then known as the Aryamehr University of Technology). He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the university.

Following his bachelors, he enrolled in a graduate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Najafi received his Master of Science degree in mathematics with a final grade of A+ in 1976, but dropped out of a PhD program in 1978 during the Iranian revolution to return to Iran.

Career Education Following the Iranian revolution of 1979, Najafi returned to Iran and became a faculty member at Isfahan University of Technology in 1979, and was the chair of the university from 1980 to 1981. He was a faculty member of the department of mathematical sciences in Sharif University of Technology from 1984 to 1988, when he moved to government.

At the end of the reformist government of Mohammad Khatami and following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's election, Najafi moved back to university and has been faculty in the department of mathematics at Sharif University of Technology working on representation theory.

He was nominated as minister of education by Hassan Rouhani. However, the Parliament did not approve his appointment on 15 August 2013. Najafi received 142 votes in favor, 133 votes against, and 9 abstentions. He was appointed head of Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization on 17 August. However, Najafi resigned from his position on 30 January 2014 due to health problems, making it the first change in Rouhani's cabinet.

Mayor of Tehran On 21 July 2017, Najafi was the candidate with the most votes among the seven top candidates for Mayor of Tehran. On 10 August 2017, he was unanimously elected as the new mayor by the City Council of Tehran, defeating Elaheh Koulaei and Mohsen Mehralizadeh. The decision was unofficial, but became effective when the council convened its first official meeting on 23 August. After his office-taking took longer than usual, the council appointed a caretaker on 27 August. Hours later and minutes to midnight, the Interior Ministry approved his credentials and he took office.

Najafi threatened to disclose what he maintained was widespread financial corruption under his predecessor, IRGC General Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. He maintained that there were “widespread illegal actions” under Ghalibaf, resulting in billions of dollars in city debt, corruption, and the illegal transfer of city real estate.

Najafi resigned after only eight months in office on 14 March 2018, a few days after a video surfaced of him attending a dance performed by six schoolgirls ages eight to nine in traditional costume in celebration of an Islamic version of Mother’s Day. This offended Iranian clerics. However, according to one of the council members, the resignation was due to medical problems.

Murder of wife In 2019, Najafi murdered one of his two wives, Mitra Ostad, 34. In Iran polygamy is legal, up to four wives. Iranian Police announced she was killed by several gunshots, with a bullet in her heart, several gunshots in her chest, and another in her arm. The ISNA news agency, stated that the head of the intelligence police, Alireza Lotfi, said about the details of Najafi's confession: "In his initial conversations, he stated that this action was carried out due to psychological pressures and family problems." The head of Tehran Police's criminal investigation department said he was in detention, and that police had discovered the weapons he shot with. The firearm that was used was a 9 mm caliber pistol that resembled a Beretta 92.

On 30 July 2019, Najafi was sentenced to death for murdering his wife.

Najafi was released from prison on release on April 9, 2023, having paid blood money and received a pardon from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.