Mohammad-Ali Rajai

Mohammad-Ali Rajai (; 15 June 1933 – 30 August 1981) was an Iranian politician who served as the second president of Iran from 2 August 1981 until his assassination four weeks later. Before his presidency, Rajai had served as prime minister under Abolhassan Banisadr, while concurrently occupying the position of foreign affairs minister from 11 March 1981 to 15 August 1981. He died in a bombing on 30 August 1981 along with then-prime minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar.

Early life and education

Mohammad-Ali Rajai was born on 15 June 1933 in Qazvin, Iran. His father, a shopkeeper named Abdolsamad, died when he was four years old. Rajai grew up in Qazvin and moved to Tehran in the late 1940s. He joined the Air Force at age sixteen or seventeen. In 1959, he graduated from Tarbiat Moallem University with a degree in education, later working as a teacher of mathematics. and in 1960, joined the Freedom Movement of Iran. He was arrested at least twice by SAVAK for his opposition activities, with his longest detention lasting from May 1974 to late 1978. In one of his first acts in office, he named Mohammad-Javad Bahonar to become the next prime minister of Iran.

Assassination

On 30 August 1981, Rajai held a meeting of Iran's Supreme Defence Council along with Bahonar. Witnesses later stated that a trusted aide brought a briefcase into the conference room, set it between the two leaders, and then left. A short period later, another person opened the case, triggering a hidden bomb that set the room ablaze, leading to the deaths of Rajai, Bahonar, and six other officials. The attack occurred two months after the Haft-e Tir bombing. Iranian officials identified MEK operative Massoud Keshmiri as the culprit, though others allege the bombing was by political rivals within Rajai's political party. He is buried in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

Political positions Rajai based his governance on political Islam. He insisted that government members be Muslim, adhere to the concept of Velayat-e Faqih, and cooperate with institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and the Islamic Revolutionary Court.