Prime Minister Mansour Assassinated
Hasanali Mansour, the prime minister of the time was shot three times right after getting off his car in Baharestan square on his way to the parliament. He was reported dead four days later at the Pars hospital in Tehran. His term lasted for only 10 months and 14 days. His father also had served as prime minister during Reza Shah's rule and resigned in 1941. A person named Mohammad Bokharayi was arrested and charged but the real elements behind Mansour's assassination remain a mystery to this day.
There are speculations linking it to a power struggle between UK and US; because Mansour was supportive of the US, and Mohammad Reza Shah's strong criticisms of the British policies a couple of days later strengthened the theory. 70 days later an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Shah occurred at the Marmar palace. After Mansour's death Amirabbas Hoveida became prime minister and served for 13 years. Hoveida who did not leave the country after 1979 revolution was arrested and executed after a brief trial by the revolutionary court. (Updated: Oct, 5, 2008)
Hoveida Becomes Prime Minister
Following Mansour's assassination which was attributed to fanatic Islamists, Mohammad Reza Shah personally appointed Amirabbas Hoveida as Prime Minister and ordered him to form the cabinet of ministers. Hoveida had lived and served in foreign countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, France, Switzerland and Belgium and spoke French, Arabic, German and Spanish. While he served at the Iran embassy in Paris, a group of Jews were given Iranian passports to escape from Nazi death camps. Hoveida served 13 years as Prime Minister. His term marked great achievements in economy and foreign affairs of Iran.
But his faith was to become a prisoner during the Shah's regime. After 1979, during revolutionary court proceedings headed by Ayatollah Khalkhali that usually ended with brief executions with the label corrupt-on-earth, the son of a well-known cleric whose name we don't know yet! Shot him in the throat. This was in some ways to silent Hoveida who knew a lot. He had requested to be given time in order to write his memoires. His corpse was secretly flown to Paris after 3 months where he was buried with many mysteries about his life and death. (Updated: Jan, 22, 2009)
Assassination Attempt Against Shah Failed
In Marmar palace, army private Shamsabadi fired bullets on Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi who just got off his car and going towards his office. Shah was not injured but two Royal guard officers and the attacker were killed. Shamsabadi was related to a leftist movement whose members were mostly students in universities outside Iran. Some of them were briefly arrested and briefly convicted. (Updated: Feb, 19, 2009)
English-Persian Glossary
- Amirabbas Hoveida : اميرعباس هويدا(Amir Abbas Hoveyda)
- Hasanali Mansour : حسنعلي منصور
- Prime Minister : نخست وزير رئيس الوزرا
- Marmar Palace : کاخ مرمر
- Baharestan : بهارستان
- Bokharayi : بخارايي
- Ayatollah : آيت الله
- Reza Shah : رضا شاه(Sardar Sepah, Reza Gholdor) رضا خان
- Khalkhali : خلخالي
- Lebanon : لبنان
- Iranian : ايراني اهل ايران ، وابستهبه ايران
- Pahlavi : پهلوي(Pahlevi)
- Hoveida : هويدا
- Turkey : ترکيه
- Tehran : تهران(Teheran, Tahran) طهران
- Arabic : عربي تازي
- France : فرانسه
- German : آلماني
- Paris : پاريس
- Royal : سلطنتي
- Nazi : نازي
- Shah : شاه پادشاه
- Iran : ايران
- UK : انگليس(United Kingdom,The Old Fox)
- US : ايالات متحده
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