Abbas Gharabaghi
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Arteshbod A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED On ...
Abbas Gharabaghi ( fa, عباس قره‌باغی; 1 November 1918 – 14 October 2000) was the last chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces as well as deputy commander-in-chief of the
Iranian Imperial Army , founded = , current_form = ( Islamic Republic) , disbanded = , branches = , headquarters = Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Tehran , website = , commander-in-chief = Maj. Gen ...
during the rule of
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...
, the last
Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
of Iran. Gharabaghi was one of two senior military officials who were not detained and executed by the Islamic Revolutionary Council.


Background and career

Gharabaghi was of
Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic people living mainly in Azerbaijan (Iran), northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republi ...
origin. He served as the gendarmerie commander until 1979. When intensive protests broke out in 1978, both Hassan Toufanian and
Amir Hossein Rabii Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
intended to carry out a coup to stabilize the turmoil in the country. Their idea was not backed by other senior military officials, including General Abbas Gharabaghi. He was appointed chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces on 7 January 1979. His role was to support
the Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
until the Shah left Iran, and then to support the civilian government the Shah left behind led by Prime Minister
Shapour Bakhtiar Shapour Bakhtiar ( fa, شاپور بختیار, ; 26 June 19146 August 1991) was an Iranian politician who served as the last Prime Minister of Iran under the Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In the words of historian Abbas Milani: "more than once in ...
. 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. Gharabaghi was then assigned as a prosecutor to the
Islamic Revolutionary Court Islamic Revolutionary Court (also Revolutionary Tribunal, ''Dadgahha-e Enqelab''Bakhash, Shaul, ''Reign of the Ayatollahs'', Basic Books, 1984, p.59-61) (Persian: دادگاه انقلاب اسلامی) is a special system of courts in the Islamic ...
, which ordered the killing of many senior Iranian officials who served under the Shah. However, as a result of tensions in Azerbaijan, in 1979 Gharabaghi's relations with
Ayatollah 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 ...
became tense and he fled from Tehran. The revolutionary authorities sought him, but did not manage to arrest him. In December 1979, the exiled Shah argued that the meeting in January 1978 between General Robert Huyser, who was deputy commander-in-chief of the U.S. forces in Europe, and
Mehdi Bazargan Mehdi Bazargan ( fa, مهدی بازرگان; 1 September 1907 – 20 January 1995) was an Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government. He was appointed prime minister in February 1979 by Ay ...
, who would serve as the prime minister under Ayatollah Khomeini, was organized by Abbas Gharabaghi. He further claimed that Gharabaghi was a traitor.


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?'' (translated as "Why did it happen?", 1999). He argued that his decision to declare the army's "neutrality" was the main reason for the final triumph of the Islamic Revolution. In his first book, Gharabaghi expresses his strong support for and loyalty to the Shah and paints a detailed picture of the chaos within the military ranks during the final days of the government, placing the blame on Prime Minister Bakhtiar for its collapse. He justifies his decision to declare the army's "neutrality" as the only reasonable solution given the circumstances in order to prevent further bloodshed, calling Bakhtiar a traitor.


Death

Gharabaghi died in Paris in 2000. He was buried in
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gharabaghi, Abbas 1918 births 2000 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Politicians from Tabriz Iranian emigrants to France French people of Azerbaijani descent Imperial Iranian Armed Forces four-star generals 20th-century Iranian politicians