When Nixon and Kissinger visited Tehran in May 1972, the Shah convinced them to take a larger role in what had, up to then, been a mainly Israeli-Iranian operation to aid Iraqi Kurds in their struggles against Iraq, against the warnings of the CIA and State Department that the Shah would ultimately betray the Kurds. [55], On 16 September 1941, Prime Minister Forughi and Foreign Minister Ali Soheili attended a special session of parliament to announce the resignation of Reza Shah and that Mohammad Reza was to replace him. This impression turned out to be crucial, as the Iranian people had a very exaggerated idea about Britain's capacity to "direct events" in Iran. Popular attractions Poole Harbour and Bournemouth Beach are located nearby. [285], There are claims that Reza's admission to the United States resulted in the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the kidnapping of American diplomats, military personnel, and intelligence officers, which soon became known as the Iran hostage crisis. During Mohammad Reza's reign, the British owned oil industry was briefly nationalized by Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh until a UK- and U.S.-backed coup d'état deposed Mosaddegh and brought back foreign oil firms under the Consortium Agreement of 1954. [84] However, there is evidence that the would-be assassin was not a Tudeh member but a religious fundamentalist member of Fada'iyan-e Islam. This formed one of the reasons for the creation of the Pahlavi Foundation and the distribution of additional land to the people of some 2,000 villages inherited by his father, often at very low and discounted prices. Iran was ruled by a constitutional monarchy prior to 1979 and progressed by huge leaps and bounds in the seventies and was labeled by the West as an outstanding economic performer with record earnings and revenues. "[184], With Iran's great oil wealth, the Shah became the preeminent leader of the Middle East, and self-styled "Guardian" of the Persian Gulf. [289], He left the United States on 15 December 1979 and lived for a short time in the Isla Contadora in Panama. 385 & 409. He then sought treatment in Mexico. After pausing for a minutes, he said "Its land, people, and history," and "Every Iranian has to love it." Enjoy free WiFi, free parking and a restaurant. [143], The second attempt on the Shah's life occurred on 10 April 1965. [86], The Shah's second wife was Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari, a half-German, half-Iranian woman and the only daughter of Khalil Esfandiary, Iranian Ambassador to West Germany, and his wife, the former Eva Karl. [215] The next day, protests against the article began in the holy city of Qom, a traditional centre of opposition to the House of Pahlavi. [198] In a televised speech in January 1975 explaining why he was lending Britain a sum equal to US$1 billion, Mohammad Reza declared in his usual grandiose style: "I have known the most dark hours when our country was obliged to pass under the tutelage of foreign powers, amongst them England. [278] As many Republicans were attacking the SALT II treaty as an American give-away to the Soviet Union, Carter was anxious to have the endorsement of a Republican elder statesman like Kissinger to fend off this criticism. I don't know. I have always known that your youth and your love of the country are vast reservoirs of power on which you will draw to stand firm against the difficulties you face and that, despite all the troubles, you will emerge from this ordeal with honour. [35] On his first day as a student at Le Rosey in September 1931, the Crown Prince antagonised a group of his fellow students who were sitting on a bench in a park outside Le Rosey with his demand that they all stand to attention as he walked past, just as everybody did back in Iran, which led to an American student beating up Mohammad Reza, who swiftly learned to accept that no one would stand to attention wherever he went in Switzerland. [272], Some achievements of the Shah—such as broadened education—had unintended consequences. Zahedi's son Ardeshir acted as the contact between the CIA and his father. By 1977, the country's treasury, the Shah's autocracy, and his strategic alliances seemed to form a protective layer around Iran. It was one-foot long, literally the size of a football. Multiple recommendations urged the Shah to seek treatment in the United States. Guests enjoy the breakfast. [215] Khomeini's supporters had brought in audio tapes of his sermons, and Mohammad Reza was angry with one sermon, alleging corruption on his part, and decided to hit back with the article, despite the feeling at the court, SAVAK and Ettela'at editors that the article was an unnecessary provocation that was going to cause trouble. Roosevelt gave Zahedi US$900,000 left from Operation Ajax funds.[104]. [291] The new government in Iran still demanded his and his wife's immediate extradition to Tehran. That official appeal alarmed both the Shah and his advisors. The Shah was the first regional leader to recognise the State of Israel as a de facto state. See 236 traveller reviews, 46 candid photos, and great deals for Shah of Persia Hotel, ranked #35 of 53 B&Bs / inns in Poole and rated 3.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Last King of Persia. Fakhr-Arai was instantly shot by nearby officers. Old Persian. [141] In 1963 and 1964, nationwide demonstrations against Mohammad Reza's rule took place all over Iran, with the centre of the unrest being the holy city of Qom. During his 38-year rule, Iran spent billions on industry, education, health, and armed forces and enjoyed economic growth rates exceeding the United States, England, and France. [47] In line with this suggestion, Mohammad Reza and Princess Fawzia married. Italian car manufacturer Maserati have released a new version of their 1960 2-door coupé, the 5000 GT, which was also known as the Scia Di Persia, translated to The Shah of Persia. In 1969, Mohammad Reza sent one of 73 Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages to NASA for the historic first lunar landing. [233] The Shah had exaggerated ideas about the power of the KGB, which he thought of as omnipotent, and often expressed the view that all of the demonstrations against him had been organised in Moscow, saying only the KGB had the power to bring out thousands of ordinary people to demonstrate. [53] When Reza Khan learned of the meeting, he flew into a rage and attacked one of his generals, Ahmad Nakhjavan, striking him with his riding crop, tearing off his medals and was about to personally execute him when his son persuaded him to have the general court-martialed instead. Soraya later told The New York Times that the Shah had no choice but to divorce her, and that he was heavy-hearted about the decision. A coalition of mobs and retired officers close to the Palace executed this coup d'état. [326] According to Business Insider, Mohammad Reza had set up the organisation "to pursue Iran's charitable interests in the U.S."[327] At its height, the organisation was estimated to be worth $3 billion; however, on numerous occasions, the Pahlavi Foundation was accused of corruption. [40], Mohammad Reza was the first Iranian prince in line for the throne to be sent abroad to attain a foreign education and remained there for the next four years before returning to obtain his high school diploma in Iran in 1936. [19] Like most Iranians at the time, Reza Khan did not have a surname and after the 1921 Persian coup d'état which deposed Ahmad Shah Qajar, he was informed that he would need a name for his house. [198] As Britain had often dominated Iran in the past, the change in roles was greatly gratifying to Mohammad Reza.[198]. [120] Another issue in Iranian-American relations was Mohammad Reza's suspicion that the United States was insufficiently committed to Iran's defence, observing that the Americans refused to join the Baghdad Pact, and military studies had indicated that Iran could only hold out for a few days in the event of a Soviet invasion. While the arrangement did not preclude other partnerships and treaties, it helped to provide a somewhat stable environment in which Mohammad Reza could implement his reforms. A car picked him up at midnight and drove him to the palace. The Shah later left America for Panama. [315], In his biography of the Shah, Marvin Zonis has argued that Mohammad Reza really believed in these claims of divine support. 420–421. [336] The first Maserati 5000 GT was named the Shah of Persia, it was built for Mohammad Reza, who had been impressed by the Maserati 3500 and requested Giulio Alfieri, Maserati's chief engineer, to use a modified 5-litre engine from the Maserati 450S on the 3500GT's chassis. [205] Furthermore, conferences on pre-Islamic practices such as the cult of Mithra fuelled religious anxieties. Shah of Persia Hotel offers guests an array of room amenities including a flat screen TV, air conditioning, and a seating area, and getting online is possible, as free wifi is available. army for promotion and development) as well as in health education and promotion "Sepāh-e Behdāsht" (Persian: سپاه بهداشت lit. They were enraged that the referendum approving of the White Revolution in 1963 allowed women to vote, with the Ayatollah Khomeini saying in his sermons that the fate of Iran should never be allowed to be decided by women. In the 1970s, the governmental programme of free-of-charge nourishment for children at school known as "Taghziye Rāyegan" (Persian: تغذیه رایگان lit. In the 1960 U.S. presidential election, the Shah had favoured the Republican candidate, incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, whom he had first met in 1953 and rather liked, and according to the diary of his best friend Asadollah Alam, Mohammad Reza contributed money to the 1960 Nixon campaign. On 15 September 1965, Mohammad Reza was granted the title of Aryamehr ('Light of the Aryans') by an extraordinary session of the joint Houses of Parliament.[338]. [231], By October 1978, strikes were paralysing the country, and in early December a "total of 6 to 9 million"—more than 10% of the country—marched against the Shah throughout Iran. [297], By that point, it was arranged by President Sadat that Soraya would quietly visit Mohammad Reza on his deathbed in Egypt without Farah present, but Milani noted the two were "star-crossed lovers" and Mohammad Reza died before Soraya could come to Egypt from her home in Paris. I will act against this government. [249] As Mohammad Reza boarded the plane to take him out of Iran, many of the Imperial Guardsmen wept while Bakhtiar did little to hide his disdain and dislike for the Shah.