Assadollah Rashidian
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Assadollah Rashidian (Template:Langx) was an Iranian businessman and anglophile who, along with his brothers, played a critical role in the 1953 overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh.[1] He was a principal covert agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and through him the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was able to convince the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, to endorse the operation (codenamed Operation Ajax).
Rashidian's main contributions to the operation were his encouragement of the Shah's sister, Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, to obtain her brother's approval of the plan, and acting as a liaison between the SIS/CIA team and the Shah once the operation was underway. On 13 October 1952, during the Abadan crisis,the government issued arrest warrants for Assadollah Rashidian, his brother, Abdol Hossein Hejazi, and others.[2] They were soon released.[3]
Life
Rashidian was born in Tehran in 1919. The youngest son of Haibollah Rashidian. His brothers were Saifullah and Qudratullah,and he also had a sister.
His father altough playing a part in the coup that brough Reza Shah to power was eventually was imprisoned by the shah at Qasr Prison and was only released after the fall of the shah in 1941. His father became an employee of the British embassy and later became an advisor to Zia ol Din Tabatabaee.
When Mossadegh came to power, the elder Rashidian was again imprisoned on suspicion on spying for the British.
Together with his brothers, Rashidian amassed great wealth and during WWII, the family had been cultivated as possible assets by MI16 due to their anglophile leanings[4] and connections to the United Kingdom.[5][6] This concisted of owning property in London and of sending their children to school in England.[5]
Education
Rashidian attended university in London.
Marriage
In 1957, Rashidian married Lili Daftary,[7] the daughter of a Colonel Daftary and grand niece of Mohammed Mossadegh. Daftary was also friend of Farah Diba.[Note 1]
Death
Rashidian died in 1981 from an heart-attack, while living in exile[4] in London.
Notes
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- ↑ Not to be confused with Leyly Matine-Daftary, another friend of Diba.
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References
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- MI6 operatives in Iran
- National Will Party politicians
- Members of the 20th Iranian Majlis
- Deputies of Tehran for National Consultative Assembly
- 1919 births
- 1980 deaths
- Year of death uncertain
- Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Iranian expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Iranian business executives
- People from Tehran
- Iranian spies
- Iranian anti-communists
- MI6 personnel