Abdol Ali Badrei

Abdol Ali Badrei (29 March 1921 - 11 February 1979) was an Iranian lieutenant general and the last commander of the Imperial Iranian Army and the Imperial Guard.

Early life and education

Badrei was born in Kermanshah on 29 March 1921. He graduated from the military academy in Kermanshah and Tehran.

Career

After graduation, Badrei joined the Imperial army as lieutenant. His first mission was in 1946 to fight against rebels in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan. Then he joined the imperial guards in 1946. In 1967, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and served as second in command in the guards. In 1971, he became a major general and was appointed commander of the immortal guards in 1973. In 1975, he was made lieutenant general and was appointed commander of the imperial guards in 1976.

In January 1979 Badrei publicly stated that the army would not follow the orders of the then prime minister Shahpour Bakhtiar. Instead of being reprimanded by the Shah due to these remarks, he was named commander of the ground forces on 10 January, succeeding Gholam Ali Oveissi, who had resigned from office and left Iran. Badrei formed a group to carry a military coup on 10 February, just before the Iranian revolution. He served in the post of the Imperial Guards commander until his death on 11 February, and the Guards was disbanded on 17 February.

Death

Badrei was murdered on 11 February 1979 in the headquarters of the army in Tehran.