Death of Khosrow Bitollahi, Former Pilot of the Imperial Iranian Air Force; He Was One of the Designers of 'Operation Mask'

Captain Khosrow Bitollahi, a former pilot of the Imperial Iranian Air Force and one of the designers of 'Operation Mask,' which the Islamic Republic refers to as 'Nojeh Coup,' passed away on Saturday, June 16, at the age of 74 in California, USA. During his years of voluntary exile, he made significant efforts to amplify the voice of freedom-seekers both inside and outside the country and, as a nationalist figure, served as one of the senior secretaries of the Constitutional Party in the political arena. Bitollahi's last appearance among Iranian opposition figures was at the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Imperial Iranian Air Force, held on June 1 in California, attended by Prince Reza Pahlavi and several pilots of the Imperial Air Force. In a social media message, Prince Reza Pahlavi expressed his sorrow over Bitollahi's passing, stating, 'I was very saddened to hear about the death of Captain Khosrow Bitollahi. He was one of the skilled pilots of the Imperial Iranian Air Force who did not succumb to Khomeini and his evil regime after the catastrophe of '57 and participated in Operation Mask alongside his patriotic comrades to save the homeland and the nation.' He added, 'The late Bitollahi turned to political activities for the freedom of Iran during his forced exile, aiming for the establishment of a national government and was for years among the leadership and advisors of the Constitutional Party of Iran. I honor the memory of Captain Khosrow Bitollahi and share the sorrow of his esteemed family, friends, and comrades in the Constitutional Party.' Khosrow Bitollahi was one of the officers involved in the design of 'Operation Mask,' which the Islamic Republic and its mockers called the 'Nojeh Coup.' The center of this operation, organized to overthrow the Islamic Republic, was the Shahrokhi Air Base (Nojeh) in Hamadan, but on July 9, 1980, the operation was compromised, leading to the arrest of dozens of officers and ranks in the army, many of whom, including Saeed Mahdian and Ayat Mohagheghi, were executed. In one of his last interviews with the media on May 27 of this year, Bitollahi told Voice of America, 'The Islamic Republic has destroyed the powerful Air Force of Iran just like other sectors of the country.'