Reza Azimi (Persian: رضا عظیمی) was a senior military officer during the reign of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He was a general and held various military and government posts, including commander of the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces and minister of war.
Reza Azimi | |
|---|---|
| Died | France |
| Allegiance | Imperial State of Iran |
| Service | Ground Force |
| Years of service | 1928 – 1979 |
| Rank | Army General |
Biography
editAzimi served as the commander of the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces between 1960 and 1966.[1][2] He left the office due to illness.[2] Then he was made general adjutant to the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi which he held until 1970.[1]
Later Azimi served as the minister of war between 1971 and 1977 in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda.[1][3] He was appointed to the post on 13 September 1971.[4] Azimi was among the nine members of the cabinet who were not Hoveyda's appointees or proteges.[3] His deputy at the ministry was also a retired army officer, Hassan Toufanian.[5] During his tenure Azimi dealt with legislative and budgetary issues, whereas his deputy, Toufanian, was responsible for the procurement of arms in accordance with the Shah's orders.[5]
Azimi retained his post in the succeeding cabinet led by Prime Minister Jamshid Amouzegar between August 1977 and August 1978.[6] Azimi continued to serve in the same post in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Jafar Sharif-Emami.[7][8] He was also appointed minister of war to the military government which was formed by Gholam Reza Azhari in November 1978 and lasted until the end of December.[9]
As of 1990 Azimi was residing in Paris, France.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "General Reza Azimi". Foundation for Iranian Studies. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ a b Hooshmand Mirfakhraei (1984). The Imperial Iranian armed forces and the revolution of 1978-1979 (PhD thesis). University at Buffalo. p. 254. OCLC 12037858. ProQuest 303350420.
- ^ a b Khosrow Fatemi (Winter 1982). "Leadership by Distrust: The Shah's Modus Operandi". The Middle East Journal. 36 (1): 56. JSTOR 4326355.
- ^ "Chronology August 16, 1971-November 15, 1971". The Middle East Journal. 26 (1): 43. 1972. JSTOR 4324874.
- ^ a b Iran, a Country Study. Washington DC: Department of Defense. 1978. p. 401.
- ^ "Chronology May 16, 1977-August 15, 1977". The Middle East Journal. 31 (4): 474. 1977. JSTOR 4325678.
- ^ William Branigin (28 August 1978). "New Cabinet Named in Iran Shakeup". Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Chronology August 6, 1978-November 15, 1978". The Middle East Journal. 33 (1): 49. Winter 1979. JSTOR 4325819.
- ^ Sepehr Zabir (2012). The Iranian Military in Revolution and War (RLE Iran D). London; New York: Routledge. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-136-81270-5.