Mohsen Rais

Mohsen Rais
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
18 July 1950 – 11 March 1951
MonarchMohammad Reza Pahlavi
Prime MinisterHaj Ali Razmara
Preceded byMahmud Salahi
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
In office
1942–1942
MonarchRezā Shāh
Ambassador of Iran to the United Kingdom
In office
1961–1962
Preceded byHossein Ghods-Nakhai
Succeeded byArdeshir Zahedi
In office
1947–1950
Preceded byHassan Taqizadeh
Succeeded byAli Soheili
Ambassador of Iran to Iraq
In office
1943–1947
Preceded byMusa Nuri Esfandiari
Succeeded byMuhammed Shayesta
Personal details
Born1895
Tehran, Qajar Iran
Died1975 (aged 79–80)
ParentZahir ol Mulk (father)
Alma materUniversity of Geneva

Mohsen Rais (Persian: محسن رئیس; 1895–1975), also known as Mirza Mohsen Khan, was an Iranian diplomat and served as foreign minister and as ambassador during the Pahlavi era.

Early life and education

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Rais was born about 1895 in Tehran.[1] He was the eldest son of Zahir ol Mulk.[1][2] He was a graduate of the University of Geneva.[2]

Career

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Rais joined the Iranian foreign ministry in 1919.[1] He was part of an association, Gamiyet-i Iran-i Qavan (Young Iran Association), which was founded by Iranian intellectuals in 1921.[3] The founders of the association were all educated in Europe.[3] Rais served as a counsellor in Paris from 1930 to 1933.[1] He was named director of the League of Nations and treaty department in the ministry in 1933 and was in office until 1935.[4] He was the ambassador of Iran to Germany from 1935 to 1938.[5][6] In 1938, he served as acting foreign minister.[7] He was appointed director general of the political affairs at the foreign ministry in 1938 which he held until 1939.[1]

Then he served as the ambassador to Romania and Yugoslavia (1939-1941), ambassador to France (1941–1942), minister of posts and telecommunications (1942)[8] and ambassador to Iraq (1943-1947). He was appointed Iran's ambassador to the United Kingdom on 6 August 1947, replacing Hassan Taqizadeh in the post.[9] He held the post until July 1950[10][11] and was succeeded by Ali Soheili in the post.[12]

Rais was appointed foreign minister on 18 July 1950 replacing Mahmud Salahi who had been serving as the acting foreign minister since 26 June in the cabinet of Haj Ali Razmara.[13][10] Prime Minister Razmara chose Rais because of his good relations with the British.[14] Rais's term lasted until 11 March 1951 when a new cabinet was formed by Hossein Ala' due to the assassination of Razmara on 7 March.[15] A friendship agreement between Iran and Italy was signed in Tehran on 24 September 1950 when Rais was serving as the foreign minister.[16]

In the period 10 November 1953 to 29 January 1958 Rais was the ambassador of Iran to France.[17] From 1958 to 1960, he was the governor-general of Azerbaijan.[citation needed] He was again transferred to diplomatic post and served as ambassador to France (1962–1963), to the Netherlands (1960–1961) and the Court of St. James’s (1961–1962).[18] His last public office was the governor of Tehran (1964-1969) and during the same period he was also a senator.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

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Rais was fluent in French.[1] He married one of the daughters of Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma in 1935.[1][19] They had a son and a daughter.[19] His son was killed in a road accident after his graduation from a university.[19] Following this incident Rais was hospitalized and died in 1975.[19]

Honors and awards

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Rais was the recipient of various awards, including the Order of Homayun (1947; 1st class) and

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "File 11/44 Leading Personalities in Iraq, Iran & Saudi Arabia". Qatar Digital Library. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Payment of scholarship to Mirza Mohsen Khan son of Zahir Ol Molk" (in Persian). Khatkesh. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b Keivandokht Ghahari (2001). Nationalismus und Modernismus in Iran in der Periode zwischen dem Zerfall der Qagaren-Dynastie und der Machtfestigung Reza Schahs (in German). Berlin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag. p. 80. doi:10.1515/9783112401699. ISBN 9783112401699. S2CID 243038089.
  4. ^ "Coll 28/67 'Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–' [153v] (306/644)". Qatar Digital Library. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  5. ^ Akbar Mashouf. "Hassan Esfandiari (Mohtashamossaltaneh)". IICHS. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  6. ^ Rashid Khatib-Shahidi (2013). German Foreign Policy Towards Iran Before World War II: Political Relations, Economic Influence and the National Bank of Persia. London: I.B. Tauris. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-84885-324-9.
  7. ^ John A. DeNovo (1963). American Interests and Policies in the Middle East, 1900-1939. St. Paul: University of Minnesota Press. p. 312. ISBN 978-0-8166-5742-1.
  8. ^ "Foreign relations of the United States diplomatic papers, 1942. The Near East and Africa". library.wisc.edu. p. 224. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Buckingham Palace, 6 August 1947-". The London Gazette. No. 38044. 12 August 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Developments of the Quarter: Comment and Chronology". Middle East Journal. 4 (4): 471. October 1950. JSTOR 4322222.
  11. ^ "Persian Foreign Minister". The Daily Telegraph. 31 July 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Buckingham Palace, 20 October 1950". The London Gazette. No. 39051. 24 October 1950. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Russia "blasts at Persia" Shah says". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 July 1950. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  14. ^ Soli Shahvar (2023). "A Soviet View on the Assassination of the Iranian Prime Minister, Haj ʻAli Razmara, in the Context of the Early Years of the Cold War". Iranian Studies. 56 (2): 315. doi:10.1017/irn.2022.71.
  15. ^ Hassan Mohammadi Nejad (1970). Elite-Counterelite Conflict and the Development of a Revolutionary Movement: The Case of Iranian National Front (PhD thesis). Southern Illinois University Carbondale. pp. 86–90. ISBN 9798657957457. ProQuest 302536657.
  16. ^ "Political friendship pact signed by Iran and Italy". Chicago Tribune. Tehran. Associated Press. 25 September 1950. p. 28. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Reportage n° 255/Remise de lettres de créance par Mohsen Raïs, ambassadeur d'Iran en France (10 novembre 1953-29 janvier 1958)" (in French). Archives nationales. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Shah of Iran In London". The Times. No. 55328. London. 1 May 1962.
  19. ^ a b c d "محسن رئیس" (in Persian). Rasekhoon. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Calligrapher becomes 10th Iranian to win France's Legion of Honor". Iran Times International. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
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