Major General Khademi: From the Heights of Iran Air to a Sacrificial Victim of Stability

On Saturday, July 4, the survivors of Major General Ali Mohammad Khademi, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Iran Air (Homa), held a memorial ceremony for him in Geneva for the first time, nearly 37 years after his assassination. Major General Khademi, who led Homa from 1962 to 1979 for nearly 16 years, was shot dead by agents of the former regime in his home in the presence of his wife and other witnesses three months before the 1979 Revolution, according to documents recently published abroad in the Iran Nameh quarterly. Radio Farda reported on the Geneva ceremony, discussing the reasons and circumstances surrounding Major General Khademi's murder with two family members. Mina Khademi Khamsi, one of Khademi's daughters, explained why the first memorial was held 37 years after the incident: "This year, the situation was such that some family members gathered, and since 37 years have passed since the assassination of my father, his memory is still very vivid. Many of his friends and colleagues who have contacted us really wanted us to have this program. Well, their friends have aged over 37 years, as have many colleagues and family members. The children are growing up too. This was a good opportunity to remember our father in Geneva." When asked if a memorial had been held for their father before, Mina Khademi-Khamsi replied, "Honestly, in 2000 in Los Angeles, a group called Ex-Iran Air (former employees of Iran Air) gathered outside Iran to honor my father. We participated in that event as a family." Who were the speakers at the memorial in Geneva? Mina Khademi-Khamsi mentioned that some family members would speak about their father's life, and Dr. Shapour Rasekh (a retired senior sociology professor at Tehran University) would discuss his contributions. They would also read messages sent to the family, especially those from the 2000 Los Angeles event. Mona Khademi, another daughter of Major General Khademi, who traveled from Washington to attend her father's memorial, was also a speaker. She described her father's legacy: "My father had two families: the Iran Air family and his own family. The happiness of both families was important to him. To be honest, he spent much more time with the Iran Air family than with us, and we had less opportunity to see him. My father did not come from one of the prominent families in Iran. He came from a religious minority in Iran. My father was Baha'i. But despite these issues, he was able to advance through hard work and intelligence to reach a high position in Iran." Mona Khademi summarized her father's 65-year achievements: "Iran Air was the second-largest state-owned company that brought profit to Iran after the oil company. Additionally, he became the president of IATA (International Air Transport Association) in 1970, the first president of an Asian airline to hold this position. He was the first Iranian pilot to receive a commercial pilot's license from abroad. He became a brigadier general and later a major general, and when he was at Iran Air, he was awarded the rank of major general. At that time, he was no longer an active employee of the Air Force, but due to his services, he was given the rank of major general in retirement from aviation." What details does the family know about the murder of Major General Khademi in the days leading up to the revolution? Mona Khademi stated, "Before the revolution, my father was asked to resign, which he did." When asked who had asked him to resign, she replied, "I think it was the Sharif-Emami government. Martial law had begun in Iran. During those two months, anyone who told him to leave Iran, he said, 'I have done nothing wrong to leave; I will stay in Iran until the situation is resolved.' On November 7, 1978, several people came to our house in Tehran. Perhaps it was because of his arrest, or perhaps they intended to kill him. In front of my mother, two military servants who worked in our house, and a guest at our house, they killed my father. The doctor said he was shot from behind and died. After that, it was published in newspapers that General Khademi committed suicide. All newspapers in Iran wrote this. Some foreign newspapers said the government claimed General Khademi committed suicide, while the family said he did not. My mother was arrested and taken to prison, and they said she only needed to sign a paper stating that General Khademi committed suicide. My mother did not agree to this lie. She was imprisoned for two months." According to official documents from the former regime, published for the first time in full in a research article by Cyrus Alai in the Toronto-based Iran Nameh quarterly this spring, Behiyeh Khademi, Major General Khademi's wife, identified two individuals as the assailants in front of multiple witnesses, who were agents of the anti-sabotage committee, a body related to the SAVAK (the former intelligence and security organization). Mona Khademi stated, "They lined up seven or eight people there and asked which one it was. My mother identified the two who came to our house. Their names are in those documents. My mother said they saw them afterward." This incident occurred during the period when the former government, following the peak of widespread public protests against the monarchy, arrested many high-ranking former officials like Amir Abbas Hoveyda, the former Prime Minister, General Nematollah Nassiri, the former head of SAVAK, and Dariush Homayoun, the former Minister of Information and Tourism, with promises of trial. Mona Khademi added, "They arrested those individuals like Dariush Homayoun and Hoveyda and the head of SAVAK. But none of them dared to kill them during the Shah's time. My father's incident happened during the Shah's time. We are almost certain that being a religious minority in Iran was a significant reason. Because issues in Iran had begun. The year before, the clergy had gained more power, and especially two months before the revolution, the country was chaotic, and perhaps the Shah wanted to silence them by saying that the killing of a Baha'i does not matter to us. Because the only Baha'i who was killed at that time was my father." However, Mr. Alai, who wrote in his article that it may have been justified to the Shah that this was a suicide. Mona Khademi replied, "That could also be the case. This is my interpretation. Based on what I have heard from historians, Mohammad Tokali Taraghi has written articles about that period, and this is my personal view. It belongs to my siblings. Because of their religion, since the incident happened during the Shah's time, our house was not confiscated at first. Our house remained for a long time. None of us were in Iran. Most of the important people's houses were confiscated. Our house was not confiscated. But after a few years, our house was confiscated. That is, at first, they wanted to accompany us a little. But it seems they later changed their minds." A document from the Revolutionary Court in 1985 shows that finally, six years after Major General Khademi's death, his house was confiscated due to its affiliation with the former regime and belief in the Baha'i faith. However, four years later, in another document, an investigator wrote to the head of the court that since the deputy prosecutor believed in murder and the court confirmed the deputy prosecutor's opinion, if the plaintiffs refer to the Revolutionary Court, the murder case will be investigated. Mona Khademi stated, "My sister and I are Baha'is, and since the revolution, we have not returned to Iran. We do not have close relatives in Iran. Therefore, I do not think we have much chance of being able to pursue this matter. God willing, I hope one day this can happen, but right now we do not have such a plan, and I do not think that with the issues in the country, the issue of the killing of General Khademi, who was a Baha'i, is a significant matter for this government and this country." Why has there been little heard about this matter during this time? Did your mother oppose the release of this information? What has been the history of this process that you have brought up and given to researchers to publish? Mona Khademi replied, "The early years after the revolution were very difficult for me and my family. My mother managed to leave Iran after nine months following the revolution. My sister was in Europe, and I was in England, and my brother was in America, and the family was not together, dealing with the loss of our father and our personal and family issues. After that, I spoke several times with my mother, and she always said that those who need to know that Khademi did not commit suicide all know, and she said she did not care about the rest. All those who need to know know that Khademi did not commit suicide. I sent Dr. Alai's article to some of my friends. Many said they never thought General Khademi committed suicide. But for history, it was important that this be recorded. Of course, during these thirty-seven or thirty-eight years, several articles have been published. My mother was interviewed. There is an article in the "Rahavard" quarterly (published in Los Angeles). There is a short article about my father in Dr. Abbas Milani's book "The Eminent Persians". They saw documents and referred to them. Additionally, these documents have not been obtained for 37 years. The documents are relatively new. Therefore, as far as we could, I have been speaking with several Iranian historians for years and said that I wanted my father's killing to be recorded. They said you have to write it yourself. Unfortunately, none of us three siblings did this. But I am glad that Dr. Alai took the effort to write this article with great accuracy and without unnecessary embellishment, highlighting the precise information." Ali Mohammad Khademi was born on November 28, 1913, in Jahrom. He obtained his mathematics diploma in Isfahan and, after ranking first in the entrance exam for the military academy, was accepted into this academy. After finishing his studies, he began service in the Iranian Air Force. His entry into passenger and cargo transport and obtaining a flying certificate for commercial aircraft from Britain showcased his other abilities. However, from 1958 to 1962, he held the presidency of the Iranian Air Force staff. Finally, from 1962 to 1979, he was at the helm of Homa. Major General Ali Mohammad Khademi was also an Iranian figure and a member of the World Economic Forum.