# Military government of Gholam-Reza Azhari

The Shah ordered Gholam Reza Azhari at 5 November 1978 to lead the military government at the time of growing protests in the country. The selection of General Azhari was taken as an indirect signal to the revolutionaries that the regime had lost its resolve to resist and play it tough. The cabinet was officially formed on 6 November.
Of the eleven cabinet ministers appointed by Azhari, only six were military, and even this number was whittled down in the following weeks. The military cabinet members, for the most part, had no experience in their respective areas of responsibility. In short, the hotly debated change to a military government was, in practice, more cosmetic than real.
Among Azhari's first acts were the arrest and imprisonment of former Prime Minister Hoveida, the former head of SAVAK, the former head of the national police, the former mayor of Tehran and several more former ministers and high dignitaries. These wanton acts were again carried out in the hope of appeasing the revolutionaries.
On the eve of 20 December, Prime Minister Gholam Reza Azhari suffered a massive heart attack. He tendered his resignation to the Shah on 31 December 1978.

## Cabinet

Cabinet members were as follows:
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | Party |
| Prime Minister | Gholam Reza Azhari | 6 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Agriculture | Amir Hossein Amir-Parviz | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Commerce | Ahmad Me'marzadeh | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Culture and Art | Kamal Habibollahi(head of ministry) | 11 November 1978 | 22 November 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Culture and Art | Mohsen Foroughi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Culture and Higher Education | Kamal Habibollahi(head of ministry) | 11 November 1978 | 22 November 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Culture and Higher Education | Shamsoddin Mofidi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Education | Kamal Habibollahi(head of ministry) | 11 November 1978 | 22 November 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Education | Mohammad Reza Ameli Tehrani | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance | Abbas Gharabaghi(head of ministry) | 6 November 1978 | 22 November 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance | Hassan-Ali Mehran | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Energy | Iraj Moghadam | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Amir Khosrow Afshar | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Health | Mohammad-Hassan Morshed | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Housing | Amir Hossein Rabii(head of ministry) | 6 November 1978 | 22 November 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Housing | Manouchehr Behravan | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Industries and Mines | Mohammad-Reza Amin | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Information and Tourism | Abolhassan Sa'adatmand | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Interior | Abbas Gharabaghi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Justice | Hossein Najafi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Labor and Social Affairs | Gholam Ali Oveissi(head of ministry) | 6 November 1978 | 22 November 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Labor and Social Affairs | Bagher Katouzian | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Minister of Post, Telegraph and Telephone | Karim Mo'tamedi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of Roads and Transportation | Hassan Shalchian | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Minister of War | Reza Azimi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Ministers without portfolio ||||||
| Executive Affairs | Mostafa Paydar | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Parliamentary Affairs | Ahmad Nazemi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Political Affairs | Ezzatollah Homayounfar | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Endowment | Mohsen Shariatmadari | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Plan and Budget | Morteza Salehi | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Vice Prime Ministers ||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister | Ali Fardad | 22 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| Director of the SAVAK | Nasser Moghaddam | 6 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| President of the Atomic Energy Organization | Akbar Etemad | 6 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| President of the Department of Environment | Manouchehr Feyli | 6 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| President of the Physical Education Organization | Nader Jahanbani | 6 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Military |
| Secretary-General of the ARAO | Amin AliMard | 6 November 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Nonpartisan |
| ↑ Acting from 8 to 22 November ↑ Acting from 6 to 22 November ↑ Acting from 6 to 22 November * Acting ||||||