Prominent Iranian American academic Mehrzad Boroujerdi has accused ex-security chief Ali Shamkhani of involvement in his father’s killing while a member of a militia group during the 1979 revolution.
Shamkhani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has recently come under public scrutiny in Iran after a leaked video showed his daughter’s lavish wedding featuring unveiled women, Western-style celebrations and his daughter the bride.
“You are the same person who, in January 1979 in Ahvaz, along with your accomplice Mohsen Rezaei, assassinated Malek Mohammad Boroujerdi, my father,” Boroujerdi wrote on Instagram on Monday, addressing Shamkhani.
Boroujerdi appeared on Iran International on Tuesday, elaborating on his accusations against senior Iranian officials, including Shamkhani and former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaei.
“The Mansouron Group, formed in 1975 by figures such as Mohsen Rezaei, Shamkhani and others created a terrorist cell that carried out assassinations in Khuzestan province, including my father’s killing in the city of Ahvaz,” Boroujerdi said.
Mansouroun was one of seven Islamist groups active before the 1979 revolution that later joined together to form the core of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The group, led by figures including Mohsen Rezai, united with six others — Towhidi Saf, Towhidi Badr, Falagh, Ommat-e Vahida, Saheban-e Safa, and Mo’tahedin-e Eslam — to establish the force that became the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Ayatollah Khomeini had urged oil company employees to strike, aiming to cripple the Shah’s oil-dependent economy. My father opposed this strategy for toppling the Shah’s government," he added.
"As a member of oil company management, he and others were placed on an assassination list circulated in Ahvaz mosques and executed in January."
Mehrzad Boroujerdi is a professor of political science at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and the author of the book ‘Iranian Intellectuals and the West.’
Shamkhani, a former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and now a member of the Expediency Council, has long been a key figure in Iran’s security establishment. He also serves as the Supreme Leader’s representative on the National Defense Council.
He and his family have come under intense criticism by dissidents for their apparent wealth and influence as many Iranians struggle with costs of living wrought by corruption, mismanagement and sanctions from Western foes of Tehran's policies.
Hossein, his son, has been described in a series of reports by Bloomberg as a key overseer of Iran's efforts to circumvent sanctions, enriching himself in the process. Shamkhani the younger has insisted he is a legitimate businessman.
“Over the past 45 years, most senior military and security positions in the Islamic Republic have been held by members of the Mansouron Group including Shamkhani, Rezaei, and Gholam Ali Rashid (who was killed in an Israeli attack),” Boroujerdi said.
The Mansouron Group was an Iranian guerrilla organization active in the 1960s and 1970s, primarily in Khuzestan province, opposing the Pahlavi regime through armed struggle and political activism.
Formed around 1969, it later merged with other militant groups and played a role in the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Iran faces stark economic and geopolitical challenges as a lingering impasse over its nuclear program led to the resumption of European-triggered international sanctions last month.
Western countries have called for Tehran to engage in renewed diplomacy with Washington and restored access to international nuclear inspectors.
Speaking at a seminar on “resistance diplomacy” at Ferdowsi University in Mashhad, Esmail Baghaei said: “We must use all tools to protect the country’s rights -- whether through missiles or diplomacy and negotiation.”
“The concept of resistance has now evolved and taken the form of resilience,” he said, adding that that Iran’s approach combines self-reliance with international engagement.
His comments appeared to strike a relatively moderate tone, two days after Iran's ultimate decision-maker Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared to reject a peace overture by President Trump and deployed sharp language at his nemesis.
The 86-year-old veteran ruler called Trump's repeated assertions that US attacks on June 22 had obliterated Iran's nuclear program "nonsense" and in a rare direct address to a US President told him to "keep dreaming."
Khamenei appeared to rule out renewed talks, calling reported US demands for curbs to Iranian missile ranges and Tehran's support for regional armed groups bullying and a
Baghaei said Iran faces powerful adversaries but remains capable of shaping developments within the international system.
“Our opponents invoke international law to justify their actions, so we must also rely on the same law to prove our rights,” he said. “Resistance diplomacy must be seen as an active instrument to secure national interests.”
He defended Tehran’s stance in the wake of the UN sanctions snapback mechanism, saying that Western powers had expected immediate compliance but were surprised by global resistance to reimposing restrictions.
Support for regional groups
Addressing Iran’s backing of allied groups in the region, Baghaei rejected the notion that Tehran created “proxy” groups.
“We did not create them,” he said. “The issues of Palestine and Lebanon did not begin in 1979 (when the Islamic Republic was established). These movements existed long before, and we have supported them based on our constitutional and strategic principles.”
Baghaei added that Iran’s support is “based on a defined framework” and that “to prevent harm, we must build allies within the international system.”
He said the resilience of such movements is enduring despite repeated attempts to weaken them.
“After two years, those who claimed resistance was finished end up sitting at the same table with them,” he said. “The foundations of resistance are deeply rooted and cannot be easily destroyed.”
On diplomacy and international law
Baghaei also defended Iran’s record on diplomacy, citing past cooperation with global institutions and negotiations with Washington.
He recalled that after the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran “remained committed for months” before gradually reducing compliance.
He also noted that indirect talks with the United States had taken place under both Trump and Biden but collapsed due to continued sanctions and regional tensions.
“When one side plans an attack and then invites you to a meeting, how can you attend such a session?” he said, referring to recent incidents.