Muhammad Amir Khatami

Mohammad Amir Khatami (; 9 March 1920 – 12 September 1975), CVO, was the commander of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, advisor to Mohammad Reza Shah and the second husband of Fatemeh Pahlavi, half-sister of the Shah.

Early life and education Khatami was born in Rasht in 1920.

Career In 1946, Khatami was named personal pilot of the Shah. Days before the coup on 16 August 1953, the Shah, accompanied by his second wife Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary and Aboul Fath Atabay, escaped from Iran to Iraq and then to Italy by a plane flown by Khatami. Khatami was also one of the military advisers of the Shah. He succeeded Hedayatollah Gilanshah in the post. During Khatami's long tenure, the Imperial Iranian Air Force was modeled on the U.S. Air Force and became Iran’s main striking arm. Its transport and tactical airlift capabilities were significantly expanded between 1965 and 1968.

In addition, Khatami served as the chairman of the board of the Iranian National Airlines and chief of the council of the Civil Aviation Department.

Rank

Personal life Khatami married twice. His first spouse was his cousin with whom he had a daughter. The Shah and his fiancée Farah Diba attended the wedding ceremony. They had two sons, Kambiz (born 1961) and Ramin (born 1967), and a daughter, Pari (born 1962).

In 1947 Khatami was the captain of the Iranian national football team. A declassified CIA report argues that Khatami was close to Hossein Fardoust and Taqi Alavikia, and that they were part of a dowreh, or social-political circle of associates. The dowreh, along with familial relations, was a significant element in the political functioning of Iran in the Pahlavi era. The Americans regarded Khatami as a pro-American official who might assume the role of successor to the Shah.

Death

Khatami died in a hang gliding accident on 12 September 1975 in Dezful.