Abbas Gharabaghi

Abbas Gharabaghi
Minister of Interior
President	Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Preceded by	Asadollah NasreEsfahani
Succeeded by	Sadeq Amir-Azizi
Personal details
Born	Abbas Gharabaghi 1918 (age 97–98) Tabriz, Iran
Died	2000 Paris, France
Nationality	Iran
Alma mater	Military University of Imam Ali, Tehran
Occupation	Military Officer
Profession	Military
Religion	Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Iran
Service/branch	Imperial Iranian Army
Years of service	1936–1979
Rank	General officer
Unit	Army
Commands	Commander in Chiefs of the Iranian Armed Forces

The tomb of Abbas Gharabaghi in Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Abbas Gharabaghi (born 1918 in Tabriz - died 2000 in Paris) was the last chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces as well as deputy commander-in-chief of the Iranian Imperial Army during the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Career

Gharabaghi served as the gendarmerie commander until 1979.^[1] He was appointed chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces on 7 January 1979. His role was to support the Shah until the Shah left Iran, and then to support the civilian government the Shah left behind led by Prime Minister Bakhtiar. However, after much strife on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere, on 11 February 1979 Gharabaghi, along with 22 other senior military leaders, withdrew support of Bakhtiar, thus tacitly supporting the revolutionary Islamic republic.^[2][3]

Works

Gharabaghi published his account of the revolution in his books Haghayegh Darbareye Bohran-e Iran ("Facts About the Iran Crisis", 1983), and Che Shod Ke Chonan Shod? ("Why did it happen?", 1999).^[4] It is said that his decision to declare the army's "neutrality" was the main reason for the final triumph of the Iranian Islamic Revolution which ended the monarchy.

In his first book, Gharabaghi expresses his strong support and loyalty to the Shah and paints a detailed picture of the chaos within the military ranks caused by the last government under the Shah which clearly holds Prime Minister Bakhtiar responsible for the downfall of the monarchy.^[5] He justifies his decision to declare the army's "neutrality" as the only reasonable solution given the circumstances and in order to prevent further bloodshed and calls Bakhtiar a traitor.

Death

Gharabaghi died in Paris in 2000.^[6]

References

1. Roberts, Mark J. (January 1996). "Khomenei's incorporation of the Iranian military" (McNair Paper 48). National Defense University. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
2. Bakhtiar Quits After Losing Army Backing The Guardian, 12 February 1979
3. Memory Lane: Looking Back At The Road To Revolution The Iranian, 11 February 2001
4. Why Did It Happen? Amazon
5. Gharabaghi, Abbas (1983). Haghayegh Dar Bareye Bohran-e Iran. Sāzmān-i Chāp va Intishārāt-i Suhayl.
6. The General's Widow The Iranian, 21 February 2001