Mohammad Ali Varasteh

Mohammad Ali Varasteh (1896–1989) was an Iranian statesman who held several cabinet posts in the 1950s and also, served as the governor of Isfahan province. He was the head of the regency council which was formed soon after Mohammad Reza Shah left Iran in January 1979.

Biography Varasteh was born in 1896. He served as the minister of health in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Ali Mansur between 4 April and June 1950. Varasteh replaced Amir Alam in the post, and his successor as health minister was Jahanshah Saleh. On 2 May, Varasteh was appointed to the same post in the next cabinet led by Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. He became one of the members of the Committee of Expropriation which was founded by Mosaddegh in May 1951 to eliminate British control in Iran's oil industry. Varasted was also head of the Iranian delegation which had been formed to implement this process. He resigned from office and was replaced by Mahmoud Nariman as finance minister. Then he was made a senator. In 1963, protests led by religious figures intensified in Iran due to the policies of Mohammad Reza Shah. Varasteh was named as one of the members of the council. Initially Seyed Jalaleddin Tehrani was named as the head of the council, but he resigned soon. Varasted replaced him as the chair of the regency council. He died in Tehran in 1989.