Kamal Habibollahi
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Kamal Habibollahi ( fa, کمال حبیب‌اللهی, 1930 – 2016) was the last Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy until the Islamic Revolution and was the last under Pahlavi dynasty."Documents detail Israel missile deal with the Shah", Elaine Sciolino, 1 April 1986, ''The New York Times''. He also several held minister positions in the Military government of
Gholam Reza Azhari Arteshbod Gholam Reza Azhari ( fa, غلامرضا ازهاری; 18 February 1912 – 5 November 2001) was a military leader and Prime Minister of Iran. Early life and education Azhari was born in Shiraz in 1912 (or in 1917). He was a graduate ...
in 1978.


Early life

Kamal was born in 1930 in Astara. His father was ''Mir-Ketab-Allah'', who was dedicated land to build the
Mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
of '' Gharib al-Ghuraba'' in Astara in 1910. He was buried in that mosque's yard. After his father died, he spent most of his time being raised in various cities until
High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, when he finally moved to
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, Pahlavi Iran and graduated from Dar ul-Funun. Although he was accepted to
University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, Habibollahi saw a poster announcing that the
Imperial Iranian Navy The Iranian Navy traditionally located in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, has always been the smallest of the country's military forces. An Iranian navy in one form or another has existed since Achaemenid times in 500 BC. The Phoenician n ...
was recruiting college students to become officers. He had always had a lifelong interest in history and a respect for the navy for trying to fight the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, Habibollahi registered and after taking the Naval Entry exam, was accepted to become a Naval Officer with the
Imperial Iranian Navy The Iranian Navy traditionally located in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, has always been the smallest of the country's military forces. An Iranian navy in one form or another has existed since Achaemenid times in 500 BC. The Phoenician n ...


Career

Habibollahi graduated from the Royal Navy Officer Program, U.S. Naval Post Graduate School, and
U.S. Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...
. He rose through the ranks of the Navy and ultimately served as the Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy. He played a leading role in developing the Chahbahar naval port. Habibollahi resigned from this role upon the collapse of the Bakhtiar government. An outspoken critic of the incoming
Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
regime and radical Islam, following the
1979 Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, He went into hiding after the revolution since many major government members were being executed, and then eventually managed to go to
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
Next he settled in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, where he resided in the
Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
area. He continued to promote attention to free Iran causes as well as warn against the dangers of global Islamic extremism and terrorism through speeches at universities, military academies, panels, and both US and Iranian media outlets. In August 1981, he led a group of people loyal to Azadegan Organization in seizing the , an Iranian navy missile cruiser, off the coast of Spain, in order to draw attention to the continued resistance to
Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
and Islamic extremism."Iran: Piracy, Protests And Polemics"
David S. Jackson; Sandra Burton; George Russell, ''Time Magazine'', 24 August 1981. Retrieved 11 January 2011.


Tabarzin attack

On August 13th, 1981, Kamal devised a plan to seize the . The ship which was now completed, was to be delivered to Iran via the south of France and the Captain of the ship secretly agreed to allow them to take over the ship. His group, Azadegan Organization, consisted of several young Iranians. Habibollahi managed to take the team to
Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. After spending several days blending in, they hired a fishing boat named the Salazon to take them out under the cover of Oceanography. The morning of August 13th, 1981, Habibollahi and his crew left the port with the Salazon and, after getting the skipper drunk and smashing his radio, they took over his boat and started going toward the . By that time, they disguised themselves as Civil Guard (Spain) officers, and once onboard, they took out fake weapons and forced the crew to get down. Once they succeeded, they asked for the keys to the ammunition room, and armed with real weapons, they seized the remaining crew and ordered them to be locked up in their cabins. They were intercepted by Civil Guard (Spain) helicopters, whom Habibollahi got rid of by entering international waters. In a symbolic act, they ripped down the
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
flag and replaced it with the Pahlavi Iran flag. With all the press on him, Habibollahi decided to dock in
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
to pick up Reza Pahlavi. However, Habibollahi instead found himself under arrest, and in an attempt to free the ship, Reza Pahlavi made a deal to dissociate himself from them, in return to let Habibollahi and the Azadegan Organization go back to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and turn themselves in. Habibollahi agreed and before departing the
Tabarzin The tabar (also called ''tabarzin'', which means "saddle axe" n persian Modern Turkish: ''teber'') is a type of battle axe. The term ''tabar'' is used for axes originating from the Ottoman Empire, Persia, India and surrounding countries and cultur ...
for the last time, a brief ceremony was held where the
Imperial Iran The Imperial State of Iran ( fa, کشور شاهنشاهی ایران, ), also known as the Imperial State of Persia, was the official name of the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty. It was formed in 1925 and lasted until 19 ...
flag was lowered to the Imperial Anthem for the last time with many salutes from French Marines, ending 2500 years of Persian naval tradition that began under
Artemisia I of Caria Artemisia I of Caria ( grc, Ἀρτεμισία; fl. 480 BC) was a queen of the ancient Greek city-state of Halicarnassus and of the nearby islands of Kos, Nisyros and Kalymnos,Enc. Britannica, "Artemisia I" within the Achaemenid satrapy of ...
under
Xerxes I Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of D ...
but now ended with the man standing before them, Kamal Habibollahi.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Habibollahi, Kamal 20th-century Iranian politicians 1930 births 2016 deaths American people of Iranian descent Commanders of Imperial Iranian Navy Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Government ministers of Iran Imperial Iranian Navy vice admirals Naval Postgraduate School alumni Naval War College alumni People from Astara, Iran Education ministers of Iran