Mohammad-Vali Gharani () (1913–23 April 1979) was an Iranian military officer. He was born in Tehran in 1913. He graduated from the Officers' Academy and the

War College A war college is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders. It is also often the place where advanced tac ...

. In 1950 he joined the Imperial Army and was promoted to the rank of colonel. Then he was appointed to

Rasht Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...

as a garrison commander. By August 1953, Gharani was commander of the Rasht Brigade and loyal to the Shah. He met with

Ardeshir Zahedi Ardeshir Zahedi, GCVO (; 16 October 1928 – 18 November 2021) was a prominent Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister from 1966 to 1971, and its ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom during ...

and helped

1953 Iranian coup d'état The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état (), was the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh on 19 August 1953. Led by the Iranian army and supported by the United States and the United Kingdom, the co ...

. Following the coup, he was promoted to vice Chief-of-Staff. In 1957, when

SAVAK The Bureau for Intelligence and Security of the State (), shortened to as SAVAK () or S.A.V.A.K. () was the secret police of the Imperial State of Iran. It was established in Tehran in 1957 by national security law. and continued to operate un ...

was established, he reportedly was a candidate to take office as head of the newly established secret service. Gharani however had become increasingly critical of regime due to 'endemic corruption' over the past years, unbeknownst to the authorities. He planned a coup d'état against the regime which was exposed, leading to

dishonorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...

in 1958. He was imprisoned twice in 1958 and 1963. Gharani served as the first Chief-of-Staff of the Iranian Army after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

, from 12 February 1979 to 27 March 1979, when he was forced out. He was assassinated on 23 April 1979 by Forqan Group.

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* 20th-century Iranian politicians 1913 births 1979 deaths Assassinated Iranian military personnel Council of the Islamic Revolution members Deaths by firearm in Iran Islamic Republic of Iran Army major generals People assassinated by the Forqan Group People of the Iranian Revolution Burials at Fatima Masumeh Shrine Politicians from Tehran {{iran-mil-bio-stub