Javad Fakoori
Born(1936-01-03)3 January 1936
Tabriz, Pahlavi Iran
Died29 September 1981(1981-09-29) (aged 45)
Kahrizak, Iran
AllegianceIran
Service/branchAir Force
Years of service1958–1981
RankColonel[1]
Major General (posthumous)
Commands held2nd Tactical Air Base
1st Tactical Air Base
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Battles/wars
Awards Order of Nasr
Minister of National Defense
In office
10 September 1980 – 17 August 1981
Prime MinisterMohammad-Ali Rajai
Preceded byMostafa Chamran
Succeeded byMousa Namjoo

Javad Fakouri (Persian: جواد فکوری; 3 January 1936 – 29 September 1981) was an Azerbaijani origine prominent military figure who served as the 4th defence minister of Iran in September 1980 to August 1981. He was born in Tabriz - the capital city for the East Azerbaijan province of İran in 1936.

Career

Fakoori was a commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force at the rank of colonel. He entered the Iranian Air Force in 1958 as a fighter pilot of the F-100. He later qualified on the F-4 fighter-bomber in 1967. He commanded a flight, squadron, wing and group of F-4 aircraft during the Pahlavi regime. In 1978, he was promoted to colonel and stationed in Tehran as a staff officer. Despite the fact that one of his cousins was a leading member of the MEK and had sought asylum in Sweden in 1980, he had the confidence of Khomeini and Rafsanjani.[2] With the consent of Khomeini, then-president Abolhassan Banisadr appointed him to this post in June 1980.[3][4]

Fakoori was the commander of the Iranian Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War. He also served as the Iranian defence minister from spring 1981 to September 1981.[5] Fakoori replaced Mostafa Chamran as defence minister when the latter died in a plane crash accident during the Iran–Iraq war. Mohammad Salimi replaced Fakoori as defence minister in 1981.[5]

Death

Main article: 1981 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash

Fakoori and other senior military officials, including Valiollah Fallahi and Mousa Namjoo, were killed in a crash near Tehran on 29 September 1981.[5] Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini made a speech following the incident in which he implied the Mujahedeen Khalq as the perpetrator without clearly condemning the leftist group.[6]

Fakoori was posthumously promoted to the rank of major general.

References

  1. ^ Nikola B. Schahgaldian, Gina Barkhordarian (March 1987), The Iranian Military Under the Islamic Republic (PDF), RAND, ISBN 0-8330-0777-7, retrieved 15 January 2017
  2. ^ Ehteshami Anous (1995). After Khomeini: The Iranian Second Republic. Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-415-10879-9. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  3. ^ Dilip Hiro (1987). Iran Under the Ayatollahs. Routledge & Kegan Paul. pp. 156. ISBN 978-0-7102-1123-1. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Iranian military chiefs reshuffled". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 19 June 1980. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Sepehr Zabir (23 April 2012). The Iranian Military in Revolution and War (RLE Iran D). CRC Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-136-81270-5. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Crash kills four top Iranian officers". The Daily Egyptian. Vol. 66, no. 29. Beirut. Associated Press. 1 October 1981. Retrieved 7 August 2021.

External links

Military offices Preceded byAmir-Bahman Bagheri Commander of the Iranian Air Force 1980–1981 Succeeded byMohammad-Hossein Moeinpour Government offices Preceded byMostafa Chamran Minister of Defense 1980–1981 Succeeded byMousa Namjoo
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Defence Ministers of Iran (since 1979)
Commanders of the Iranian Air Force
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