Iranian Scholar and Former Minister Gholamreza Afkhami Dies at 87 in the U.S.

Gholamreza Afkhami, a distinguished Iranian politician, scholar, and author who made significant contributions in various fields during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, died at the age of 87 in the United States.

During his years of exile, Afkhami led the Foundation for Iranian Studies in the U.S. and continued his research in Iranian studies.

Afkhami’s career in Iran included serving as Minister of Information and Tourism and later as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. After completing his higher education in political science and economics in the United States, he returned to Iran and began teaching at National University - later renamed Shahid Beheshti University after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In 1970, he was appointed Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science. Although he briefly served as Deputy Minister of the Interior in 1974, his most notable role was as the Secretary General of the National Committee for the Global Fight against Illiteracy, a position he held from 1975 until he was forced to leave Iran following the revolution.

After relocating to the United States, where he had previously completed his graduate studies, Afkhami resumed his scholarly work, focusing on Iranian history. He is particularly renowned for his research on the contemporary history of Iran, especially the period of Mohammad Reza Shah.

His book, "The Life and Times of Mohammad Reza Shah,"  offers a detailed analysis of the Shah’s reign and was first published in English by the University of California Press. The book has also been translated into Persian.

Afkhami reflected on his work, saying, "It is true that I worked on this book for many years. It represents not only extensive research but also the result of my own political and social experiences, as well as those of others in Iran during that time."

Until recent years, Afkhami delivered 57 lectures and participated in specialized panels at American think tanks, focusing on the events leading up to the 1979 Revolution.

In one of his recent speeches in the United States, Afkhami reflected on a final meeting he had with the Shah: "Despite having the military power to prevent it, he chose not to and candidly expressed his preference that if the people would rather not have him, he would leave the country."

Regarding the state of Iran before the 1979 revolution, Afkhami said in an interview with Shahran Tabari, "Iran was on a vastly different path - with much higher per capita income and significantly better living conditions."

Years before the current crisis of legitimacy in the Islamic Republic, Afkhami remarked, "The current administration is not aligned with the culture of development, which is why we are facing difficulties."

Afkhami was married to Mahnaz Afkhami, an Iranian women's rights activist who was the second female minister in Iran, the Secretary General of the Iranian Women's Organization, and the founder and head of the Women's Education and Participation Organization. After being forced to leave Iran, Mahnaz Afkhami became the Executive Director of the Foundation for Iranian Studies.

Founded by the couple in the United States, the Foundation for Iranian Studies is a non-profit organization dedicated to researching Iranian history and promoting Iranian culture. It also explores contemporary issues in Iran's government and society, with a focus on social, economic, political, and military potential for the future.

Ashraf Pahlavi, the Shah’s twin sister, provided essential support for the establishment of the foundation three years after the revolution. The foundation’s website offers a wealth of resources, including interviews, electronic books, photographs, and written references.

The "Women's Center" section, in particular, provides significant insights into the status of Iranian women in contemporary history.

Had the revolution not occurred, one can speculate about the foundation’s potential impact if it had been active in Iran and the contributions it might have made to Iranian studies and its enthusiasts.

The Foundation for Iranian Studies has conducted detailed interviews with prominent Iranian figures who left the country after the revolution. Among these interviews is one with Gholamreza Afkhami himself, conducted by Walireza Nasr, who later became a Middle East affairs advisor in the Obama administration, and Homayoun Majid in the 1980s in Washington, D.C., and its surroundings.

In this interview, Afkhami discussed the student political movements of the 1950s, Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, the oil nationalization movement, the roles of national, religious, and leftist forces, and the final two decades of the Shah's reign.

Regarding the fight against illiteracy, Afkhami said, "It is closer to my heart than all the other events that happened in Iran."