Mansour Rouhani Explained

Birth Date:1922
Office:Minister of Water and Power
Termstart:7 March 1964
Termend:?
Office2:Minister of Agriculture
Termend2:27 August 1978
Termstart2:?
Primeminister2:Amir Abbas Hoveyda
Spouse:Parvin Rouhani

Mansour Rouhani (1922–11 April 1979) was an Iranian politician who held several government posts during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.[1] He was one of the politicians who were murdered after the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Biography

Rouhani's father was a Bahá'í whereas his mother was a Muslim.[2] [3]

On 7 March 1964 Rouhani was named as the minister of water and power in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Hasan Ali Mansour.[4] Rouhani served in the same post in the first cabinet of Prime Minister Amir-Abbas Hoveyda from 26 January 1965.[5] He also served as the minister of agriculture in the next cabinet of Amir Abbas Hoveyda.[6] He was reappointed to the post on 13 September 1971.[7]

Rouhani and many other leading figures close to the Shah were removed from the office in Fall 1978 shortly after the riots and protests occurred in rural parts of Iran.[8] On 13 September 1978 Rouhani was arrested.[9]

He was in prison when a regime change took place in Iran in February 1979. He was tried by the newly established Islamic Revolutionary Court led by religious judge Sadegh Khalkhali. Rouhani was charged with treason and corruption on earth and sentenced to death. Rasoul Sadr Ameli, an Iranian journalist worked for Ettela'at, reported that when Rouhani learned these claims, he asked the judge how he engaged in war with God.[10] Khalkhali answered him: "You are a Baha'i."[10] Rouhani was also accused of having destroyed agriculture during his terms as minister of agriculture and minister of water and power.[11]

Rouhani was 57 years old when he was killed by the revolutionaries on 11 April 1979.[12] The same day ten other senior figures, including former foreign minister Abbas Ali Khalatbari, were also executed.[13] [14]

Personal life

His wife was Parvin Rouhani who left Iran before or after the Islamic revolution in 1979 and settled in the United States.[15] The family properties were confiscated by the Islamic government during that period.[16]

Rouhani's son married an American woman, and they both left Iran in 1978.[16]

Notes and References

  1. News: Iran Announces Suit Against French Firm. 12 August 2021. The New York Times. 18 July 1977.
  2. Web site: To National Spiritual Assemblies. Bahai.org. 12 August 2021. 17 October 1979.
  3. Mina Yazdani. Towards a History of Iran's Baha'i Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979. Iran Namag. Spring 2017. 2. 1. 85.
  4. Chronology December 16, 1963 - March 15, 1964. The Middle East Journal. 1964. 18. 2. 218. 4323704.
  5. Book: S. H. Steinberg. The Statesman's Year-Book 1966-67. Palgrave Macmillan. London. 2016. 978-0-230-27095-4. 1136.
  6. Kaveh Ehsani. Rural Society and Agricultural Development in Post-Revolution Iran: The First Two Decades. 2006. 15. 1. 10.1080/10669920500515143. 85. Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies. 145536026.
  7. 1972. 43. 26. Chronology August 16, 1971-November 15, 1971. The Middle East Journal. 1. 4324874.
  8. James A. Bill. Iran and the Crisis of '78. Foreign Affairs. Winter 1978–1979. 20040117. 57. 2. 326. 10.2307/20040117.
  9. Chronology August 6, 1978-November 15, 1978. The Middle East Journal. Winter 1979. 33. 1. 49. 4325819.
  10. Web site: Niloufar Rostami. Corpses on the Snow: Journalist Remembers Khomeini's Blessing for 1979 Execution. Iranware. 12 August 2021. 18 May 2021.
  11. News: Total put to death stands at 101 11 Shah officials executed in Tehran. 27 June 2023. The Globe and Mail. Reuters. 12 April 1979. Tehran. .
  12. Web site: One Person's Story. Mansur Ruhani. Abdorrahman Boroumand Center. 12 August 2021.
  13. News: Teheran executes 11 top ex-officials. Tehran. 12 August 2021. The New York Times. 11 April 1979.
  14. Chronology February 16, 1979 – May 15, 1979. The Middle East Journal. Summer 1979. 33. 3. 356. 4325879.
  15. Web site: Interview with Rohani, Parvin: Tape 01. Harvard Library.
  16. Book: M. E. MacGlashan. Iran-US Claims Tribunal Reports. 22. Cambridge. 201. 978-0-521-46456-7. 2016. Cambridge University Press.