This is an alphabetic list of notable people from Iran or its historical predecessors.
Leaders, politicians, activists
This list excludes royalty, which can be accessed by the main article link above.
Historical
Cyrus the Great , Iranian emperor and the founder of IranNader Shah , Iranian king and military commanderDarius the Great , Iranian emperorMithridates I of Parthia , Iranian emperorIsmail I , Iranian kingFazlollah Noori , conservative clergy opposing Constitutionalists; hangedGhaem Magham Farahani , prime ministerHassan-e-Sabbah , sectarian political leaderKaveh the Blacksmith , mythical leader and liberator against the rule of Zahhak, an Arab kingMahmud Khan Puladeen , senior military generalMaziar, son of Karan; leader of the Persian uprising against Arabs
Mirza Kuchek Khan , constitutionalist leader of GuilanMirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi , Nader Shah's Chief MinisterMirza Reza Kermani , assassinated Nasereddin ShahMohammad Khiabani , popular leader during Constitutionalist RevolutionMohammad Mossadegh , prime ministerMostowfi ol-Mamalek , prime ministerNosrat Dowleh Firouz Mirza , provincial governorSafi-ad-din Ardabili , spiritual founder of Safavid dynastySattar Khan , constitutionalist leaderHeshmat Taleqani , Jangali leader and ally of Mirza Kuchek Khan
Modern (post-Qajar)
Pahlavi period
Abdol Hossein Hamzavi , Iranian diplomat, author and representative to the United NationsAbdol Karim Ayadi , personal physician to Reza PahlaviAli Akbar Davar , minister, and founder of Iran's modern judiciary systemAli Akbar Siassi , Chancellor of Tehran UniversityAli Gholi Ardalan , Iranian ambassador to the US, West Germany and the USSRAmanullah Jahanbani , senior military leader, and father-in-law of Christiane Amanpour 's fatherAmir Abdollah Tahmasebi , military leaderArdeshir Zahedi Bahram Aryana , military commanderAhmad Ahmadi , prison interrogatorFarokhroo Parsa , minister of educationGeorge Malek-Yonan , procured a seat in Iran's Parliament for Assyrians as a recognized minorityHasan Arfa , Army General, Ambassador to Russia, Ambassador to TurkeyHassan Modarres , member of ParliamentHassan Pakravan , head of SAVAKHeidar Arfaa , Conseiller d'État, Minister of Agriculture, Député-Majlis Fars Province Hossein Fardoust , deputy head of SAVAKHossein Fatemi , Minister of Foreign AffairsHushang Ansary , Minister of Finance, President of NIOC Karim Buzarjomehri , Army General military aide of Reza Shah, Mayor of TehranMahmoud Jafarian , head of National Iranian Radio and Television and Pars News Agency Mahmoud Khayami , industrialistMahmud Mahmud , politicianManucher Mirza Farman Farmaian , director of sales for NIOC and Ambassador to VenezuelaMohammad Ali Keshavarz Sadr , Mossadegh's Deputy and a leader of the Second National Front Nader Jahanbani , air force general, pilotNasser Moghaddam , head of SAVAKNematollah Nassiri , head of SAVAKAbbas Mirza Farman Farmaian , Minister of ParliamentSattareh Farman Farmaian , established first social worker schools in IranSepahbod Ahmad Amir-Ahmadi , military leaderSeyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee Shapour Bakhtiar , prime ministerSoraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari Teymour Bakhtiar , head of SAVAKAbdolhossein Teymourtash , Iranian statesmanMirza Javad Khan Ameri , Minister, MP
Served in Islamic Republic government
Abdolkarim Mousavi-Ardabili Abdollah Noori , minister of interiorAbdollah Ramezanzadeh , government spokesmanAbdolvahed Mousavi-Lari , minister of interiorAbolhassan Banisadr , presidentAhmad Jannati , chair of Council of GuardiansAhmad Khatami Ahmad Khomeini Ahmad Tavakkoli , minister of labourAkbar Torkan , minister of roads and transportationAla'eddin Boroujerdi , member of parliamentAli Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani , presidentAli Akbar Mohtashamipour , member of parliamentAli Akbar Nategh-Nouri , speaker of parliamentAli Akbar Salehi Ali Fallahian , minister of intelligenceAli Khamenei , supreme leaderAli Larijani , president of IRIB Ali Meshkini , chair of Assembly of ExpertsAli Movahhedi-Kermani Ali Shamkhani , minister of defenceAli Younessi , minister of informationAlireza Noori , member of parliamentAsadollah Lajevardi Ata’allah Hakimi [fa ]
Ata'ollah Mohajerani , minister of culture and Islamic guidanceAyatollah Amini , deputy chair of Assembly of ExpertsAyatollah Mohammadi-Gilani Ayatollah Sane'i Ayatollah Va'ez-Tabasi Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi Behzad Nabavi , vice speaker of parliamentBizhan Namdar-Zangeneh , minister of oilEbrahim Asgharzadeh Ebrahim Yazdi , foreign minister of interim governmentElaheh Koulai , member of parliamentEmad Afrough , member of parliamentFaezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani , member of parliamentFatemeh Haghighatjou , member of parliamentGholam Ali Haddad-Adel , speaker of parliamentGholam Hossein Elham Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi , minister of intelligenceHabiballah Dahamardeh [fa ]
Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri Hadi Khamenei , member of parliamentHamid Reza Assefi , foreign affairs spokesmanHassan Habibi , first vice presidentHassan Rouhani , former presidentHojjatallah Firouzi [fa ]
Hossein Shariatmadari Iraj Fazel , minister of healthIzzatallah Akbari Talarpashti [fa ]
Ezzatollah Zarghami , president of IRIB Kamal Daneshyar , member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly Kamal Kharrazi , minister of foreign affairsKazem Jalali , politicianKazem Rajavi , politicianKazem Seddiqi , politicianLotfollah Forouzandeh (born 1961) Iranian PoliticianLotfallah Siahkali [fa ]
Lotfallah Zara’i Qanawati [fa ]
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , former presidentMahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi , former chief justiceMajid Ansari , member of parliamentManuchehr Eliasi , Jewish member of parliamentMasoud Pezeshkian , minister of healthMasoumeh Ebtekar , vice presidentMehdi Bazargan , prime ministerMehdi Hashemi Mehdi Karroubi , speaker of parliamentMir-Hossein Mousavi , prime ministerMohammad Abaee-Khorasani , member of parliamentMohammad Ali Abtahi , vice presidentMohammad Ali Najafi , minister of educationMohammad Ali Rajai , presidentMohammad Beheshti , head of judiciaryMohammad Emami-Kashani Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani Mohammad Javad Bahonar , prime ministerMohammad Javad Larijani , member of parliamentMohammad Khatami , presidentMohammad Reyshahri Mohammad Reza Aref , first vice presidentMohammad Reza Bahonar , vice speaker of parliamentMohammad Reza Khatami , deputy speaker of parliamentMohammad Reza Mahdavi-Kani Mohammad Sattarifar , vice presidentMohammad Yazdi , head of judiciaryMohsen Armin , member of parliamentMohsen Mirdamadi , member of parliamentMohsen Nourbakhsh , head of Central Bank of IranMohsen Rezaee , member of Expediency Discernment CouncilMohsen Safaee-Farahani , member of parliament and head of Iranian Football FederationMohseni-Ezhe'i Moin al-Din Saeedi [fa ]
Morteza Motahhari Mostafa Chamran , Minister of DefenseMostafa Tajzadeh , deputy minister of interiorNasrollah Jahangard , chair of Supreme Council of ICT Nimatallah Manuchehri [fa ] , Iranian Politician
Qodratallah Hamzeh [fa ] , Iranian politician
Qodratallah Hussaynipour [fa ] , Iranian Politician
Qodratallah Imani [fa ]
Qodratallah Intazami [fa ] , Iranian politician
Ghodratollah Norouzi , Iranian politicianRahim Safavi Rahmatallah Firouzi Pourbadi [fa ]
Rasoul Montajebnia , member of parliamentRuhallah Abbaspour [fa ] , Iranian Politician
Ruhallah Baba’i Saleh [fa ]
Ruhallah Hazratpour Talahieh [fa ]
Ruhollah Hosseinian Ruhallah Izadkhahzadeh [fa ]
Ruhollah Khomeini , supreme leader, founder of the Islamic Republic Ruhallah Motfikar Azad [fa ]
Ruhallah Najabat [fa ]
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh , minister of foreign affairsSadegh Khalkhali , Sharia rulerSadegh Larijani Saeed Emami , vice minister of intelligenceSaeed Hajjarian , Tehran council memberSaeed Mortazavi Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli , head of Central Bank of Iran , Ambassador to United KingdomWaliallah Farzanah [fa ] , Iranian Politician
Zabihallah Azami Sardoui [fa ] , Iranian Politician
Zia-Allah Ezazi Maleki , Iranian Politician
Not served in Islamic Republic government or opposition
Politicians in other nations
Goli Ameri , United States Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Benazir Bhutto , former Prime Minister of Pakistan ; half-Iranian (mother Nusrat Bhutto )Nusrat Bhutto , former first lady of PakistanJimmy Delshad , mayor of Beverly Hills , CaliforniaGeorge Deukmejian , former Governor of California Dan Halutz , Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense ForcesSaadat Khan , first Nawab of Oudh in IndiaFarah Karimi , Iranian female Dutch Member of Parliament[2] Moshe Katsav , former President of IsraelTahia Kazem , former first lady of Egypt, wife of President Gamal Abdel Nasser Omid Nouripour , member of the German parliament (Bundestag), GermanyRoss Mirkarimi , former member of San Francisco City Council from Green Party ; American of Iranian and Russian descent.Reza Moridi , member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, CanadaShaul Mofaz , Israeli Minister of Transport and a Deputy Prime Minister, and former Minister of DefenseWajid Ali Shah , last Nawab of Oudh , disposed of by the British East India Company Maryam Yazdanfar , member of the Swedish parliament (Riksdag), Sweden
Activists
Prisoners and detainees
Zahra Bani Ameri (1980–2007), physician, died in a prison in Hamedan after being arrested for breaching modesty laws by sitting in a park with her fiancée.Zahra Amir Ebrahimi (born 1981), photographer, television actress, subject of a 2006 sex tape scandal in IranZeynab Jalaliyan , Kurdish prisonerZahra Kazemi , Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, who according to the medical examiner was raped, tortured and killed by Iranian officials following her arrest in Iran.Hossein Rajabian , imprisoned filmmakerNasser Fahimi , a doctor from Kurdistan, a political and ideological prisonerMehdi Rajabian , imprisoned musician
Sports
Mojtaba Abedini (born 1984), Olympic fencerYu Darvish , MLB baseball player for the Texas Rangers Ariajasuru Hasegawa , professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Nagoya Grampus Ali Azari Karki , footballerSardar Azmoun , soccer player, Iran's National Team playerFarhad Ghaemi , volleyball player, Iran's National Team playerAbbas Jadidi , wrestler, Olympic silver medalistAbdollah Movahed , wrestler, Olympic gold medalistAdel Kolahkaj , football playerAlex Agase , American football playerAli Daei , football player, top international goalscorer, world record holderAli Karimi (footballer, born 1978) Ali Karimi (footballer, born 1982) Ali Karimi (footballer, born 1994) Ali Parvin , football player and coachAlireza Dabir , wrestler, Olympic gold medalistAlireza Heidari , wrestler, Olympic bronze MmdalistAlireza Rezaei , wrestler, Olympic silver medalistAmir Abedzadeh , Iranian Football PlayerAmir Reza Khadem , Olympic Bronze Medalist wrestlerAndre Agassi , tennis player; his father was Assyrian-ArmenianArash Miresmaili , judo world championAravane Rezaï , tennis playerBehdad Salimi , weightlifter World ChampionBijan Kangarloo , cross-country skierEbrahim Javadi , wrestler, Olympic bronze medalistEhsan Ghaemmaghami , chess grandmaster Ehsan Hadadi , discus thrower, Asian record holderElshan Moradi , chess grandmasterEmamali Habibi Goudarzi , wrestler, first Iranian Olympic gold medalist (Melbourne 1956)Emmanuel Agassi , boxer at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, father of Andre Agassi Ezzatollah Pourghaz , Iranian-Turkmen Football PlayerGeorge Issabeg , boxer at the 1948 and 1952 OlympicsGeorge Malek-Yonan , Iran's Champion of Champions in track & field and pentathlonGhasem Dehnavi , football playerGhasem Hadadifar , football playerGhasem Rezaei , wrestlerHooman Tavakolian , Sport Diplomat and Lobbyist, Hall of Fame, wrestlerHossein Rezazadeh , weightlifter, double Olympic champion (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004)Javad Nekounam , football playerKhodadad Azizi , football playerKianoush Rostami , weightlifter, world championKimia Alizadeh , Taekwondo player, the first Iranian woman to win a medal at the Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro 2016)Mahmoud Namjoo , weightlifter, Olympic silver medalistMahyar Monshipour , World Super Bantamweight Boxing ChampionMansour Bahrami , tennis playerMansour Barzegar , wrestler, Olympic silver medalistMasoud Jokar , wrestler, Olympic silver medalistMehdi Haghizadeh, football player
Mehdi Mahdavikia , football playerMehdi Taremi , Iranian Football PlayerMohammad Ali Fardin , wrestler and actorMohammad Khadem , wrestlerMohammad Mousavi , volleyball playerMarziyeh Karimi,volleyball player and coach
Mohammad Nassiri , weightlifter, Olympic gold medalistMohammad Reza Heidarian , futsal playerMohammad Reza Tupchi , wrestlerRahman Rezaei , football playerRamin Rezaeian , Iranian Football PlayerRasoul Khadem , Olympic gold medalist wrestlerRouzbeh Cheshmi , Iranian Football PlayerRuhollah Bigdeli , football playerShima Mehri , Motorcycle BikerSaeid Marouf , volleyball playerShadi Paridar , chess Woman Grandmaster Shawn Daivari , professional wrestler Shoura Osipov , boxer at 1948 OlympicsT. J. Houshmandzadeh , NFL playerVahid Hashemian , football playerYossef Karami , Taekwondo world champion, Olympic bronze medalistAndranik Teymourian , football playerFereydoon Zandi , football playerGholamreza Takhti , wrestler, Olympic gold medalistHadi Saei , taekwondo world champion, Olympic gold medalistHossein Tavakoli , weightlifter, Olympic gold medalistJaber Rouzbahani , basketball playerKhosrow Vaziri , professional wrestlerLeila Vaziri , swimmer, World Champion, world record holderVahid Shamsaei , futsal player, top international futsal goalscorerMika Zibanejad , ice hockey player for Ottawa Senators of the NHL Daniel Rahimi , ice hockey player for San Jose Sharks of the NHLZabihollah Poursheib , Kurdish Iranian Martial Artist
Iranian women
See separate articles: Persian woman and List of Persian women .
Emigrants and immigrants
Americans in Iran
Howard Baskerville , Iran's first American martyrJoseph Gallup Cochran , American missionary in Urmia and Seer , translatorJoseph Plumb Cochran , second-generation American missionary in Urmia and medical doctor; established first Iranian medical collegeArthur Millspaugh , Treasury General, PersiaArthur Upham Pope (1881–1969) and Phyllis Ackerman (1893–1977), Persian culture revivalists, scholars of Persian art and architecture historyDavid Stronach Elgin Groseclose , Treasury General, PersiaJohn Limbert Justin Perkins , first American resident of Iran (1835), Presbyterian missionary in Urmia.Morgan Shuster , Treasury General, PersiaRichard Nelson Frye (1920–2014), former Harvard University professor, scholar of Persian art historySamuel M. Jordan , namesake of Jordan Ave. in TehranWilliam M. Miller
Germans in Iran
Iranians in America
See separate article: List of Iranian Americans .
Iranians in Canada
See article: Iranian-Canadian
Iranians in Britain
List of British Iranians
Iranians in Germany
Iranians in Germany
Iranians in Australia
Iranian Australian
Iranians in the Netherlands
Iranians in the Netherlands
Iranians in Finland
Iranians in Finland
Iranians in Sweden
Iranians in Sweden
Iranians in Egypt
Iranians in Pakistan
Persian Roman Catholic saints
See article List of Persian Roman Catholic saints
