Shaban Jafari
Shaban Jafari شعبان جعفری | |
|---|---|
Shaban Jafari during Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals | |
| Born | 21 March 1921 |
| Died | 19 August 2006 (aged 85) |
| Other names | Pahlevani Shaban Shaban Pahlevan zoorkhaneh |
| Occupation(s) | Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals , strongman, professional political strong arm |
Shaban Jafari (Persian: شعبان جعفری; 19 August 1921 – 21 March 2006), often known as Pahlevan Shaban Jafari(Persian: پهلوان شعبان جعفری, romanized: Pahlaven Sha'bān Jafari) by Pahlavi supporters or Shaban the Crown-Bestower (Persian: شعبان تاجبخش, romanized: Sha'bān-e Tājbakhsh) by Pahlavi opponents , was an Iranian political activist and practitioner of Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals. A controversial figure in Iranian politics, he was instrumental in overthrowing Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh's government in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état.
Following the coup, Mohammad Reza shah seized power and governed as a dictator. Over time, the Shah's regime lost both popular support and confidence. By the 1970s, longstanding grievances against the Shah resulted in the Iranian Revolution which deposed him. Jafari, whose connection to the 1953 coup made him a target for the new Iranian government, fled to the United States where he remained until his death in 2006.