Ahmad Madani

Timsar Ahmad Madani
Minister of National Defence
In office 22 February 1979 – 2 March 1979
Prime Minister	Mehdi Bazargan
Preceded by	Jafar Shafaghat
Succeeded by	Taghi Riahi
Governor of Khuzestan Province
In office 22 September 1979 – 2 January 1980
Prime Minister	Mehdi Bazargan
Preceded by	Vacant
Succeeded by	Mohammad Gharazi
Member-elect of the Iranian Parliament
In office Credentials rejected in 1980
Constituency	Kerman
Personal details
Born	July/August 1929 Kerman, Iran
Died	12 February 2006(2006-02-12) (aged 76) Denver, Colorado, United States
Political party	National Front
Military service
Allegiance	Iran
Branch/service	Navy
Years of service	1950–1972; 1979
Rank	Commodore

Ahmad Madani (July/August 1929 – 12 February 2006) was an Iranian politician, Commander of Iranian Navy (1979), governor of the Khuzestan province (1979–80) and candidate in the first Iranian presidential election. Madani became a navy Commodore in 1970, but was removed in 1973. He later became a navy commander after the revolution and was the first ever Minister of Defence under the new regime. Madani was also elected to the first parliament from Kerman, but was not approved. He eventually fled to the United States in 1980.

Pre-Revolution

Ahmad Madani was born in 1929 in Tehran.

He grew up in Kerman before returning to Tehran to pursue university education. Madani studied law at the University of Tehran, before joining the Iranian Navy and moving to England to continue his education. In 1953, Madani reached the rank of Ensign in the navy, and in 1970 he reached the rank of Commodore.

Madani spent most of his service in Bandar Abbas and the Persian Gulf. He was dismissed from the navy in 1973 for his political activities, and until the 1979 revolution he taught political science and economics throughout various universities in Iran.

Electoral history

Year	Election	Votes	%	Rank	Result
1980	President	2,224,554	15.72	2nd	Lost
	Parliament	45,437	59.98	1st	Won

Exile and death

In 1980, Madani discovered that he was accused of communicating with the United States, and this decided to flee the country. Madani settled in the United States where he was the chairman of the National Front outside of Iran.

Madani died on 12 February 2006 due to cancer, in his home in Colorado.