Shapour Bakhtiar

Shapour Bakhtiar was an Iranian politician who served as the last Prime Minister of Iran under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi before the Iranian Revolution. He was a member of the National Front (Iran) and had close ties with Mohammad Mossadegh, who was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953. Bakhtiar's tenure as prime minister was marked by his attempts to reform the Iranian government and address the grievances of the Iranian people, with the support of Amir-Abbas Hoveyda and Abdol Karim Ayadi. He also had interactions with other notable figures, including Hossein Fatemi and Ali Amini.

● Early Life and Education

Shapour Bakhtiar was born in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, to a family of Bakhtiari people origin. He studied Law at the University of Paris, where he became acquainted with French philosophy and European politics, particularly the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire. During his time in Paris, he was influenced by the works of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, and he also developed an interest in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the Jungle Movement of Iran, led by Jafar Pishevari. He later returned to Iran and became involved in Iranian politics, joining the National Front (Iran) and working closely with Kermit Roosevelt Jr. and Hendrik van der Kolk.

● Career

Bakhtiar's career in politics began in the 1950s, when he joined the National Front (Iran), a coalition of liberal and nationalist parties. He became a close ally of Mohammad Mossadegh and supported his efforts to nationalize the Iranian oil industry, which led to the Abadan Crisis and the involvement of Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bakhtiar also worked with other notable figures, including Hossein Fatemi and Abdol Karim Ayadi, to promote democracy and human rights in Iran, with the support of Amnesty International and the United Nations. He was a strong critic of the Shah's regime and its human rights record, and he was imprisoned several times for his political activities, including during the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, which was supported by the Central Intelligence Agency and MI6.

● Premiership

In January 1979, Bakhtiar was appointed as the Prime Minister of Iran by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in an attempt to appease the opposition and address the growing unrest in the country, which was influenced by the Black Friday (1978). During his tenure, Bakhtiar implemented several reforms, including the establishment of a free press and the release of political prisoners, with the support of Ayatollah Taleghani and Mehdi Bazargan. He also attempted to reduce the power of the Shah's regime and promote democracy in Iran, with the help of Abbas Amir-Entezam and Sadeq Tabatabai. However, his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and he was forced to resign in February 1979, after the Iranian Revolution and the return of Ayatollah Khomeini from Paris, which was facilitated by Charles de Gaulle and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

● Assassination Attempt and Later Life

In 1980, Bakhtiar survived an assassination attempt by a group of Iranian agents in Paris, which was linked to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He continued to be involved in Iranian politics and was a vocal critic of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the support of Reza Pahlavi and Masoud Rajavi. He also worked with other opposition groups, including the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the People's Mujahedin of Iran, to promote democracy and human rights in Iran, with the help of European Parliament and the United States Congress. Bakhtiar lived in exile in France for many years, where he was protected by the French government and the French police, and he also had interactions with other notable figures, including François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac.

● Death and Legacy

Shapour Bakhtiar was assassinated on August 6, 1991, in Suresnes, France, by a group of Iranian agents who were linked to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His death was widely condemned by the international community, including the United Nations and the European Union, and it was seen as a human rights violation, with the support of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Bakhtiar's legacy as a champion of democracy and human rights in Iran continues to be celebrated by many Iranians and international organizations, including the National Front (Iran) and the Iranian Democratic Party, and he is remembered as a key figure in the Iranian Revolution and the history of Iran, alongside other notable figures, such as Cyrus the Great and Ruhollah Khomeini.