now each of his descendants have become billionaires.[23] This money belongs to the nation. These family members have shares in every [24] company; they own a part of every established company in Iran. And as

23- Riza Khan, who before the coup d'etat had been a simple cossack, became the owner of a vast fortune after having seized power. He founded a commission called "The Royal Estates Bureau", and instructed it to buy the most coveted regions in the north of the country for him at a low price. He was prepared to commit any crime in order to take possession of the people's property. At the tirne of his banishment from Iran his possessions comprised: 44,000 plots of inhabited land; 360 million dollars cash in foreign banks; 68 million tumans in deposit accounts at home; centres such as the silk-weaving factory at Chalus, several rice refineries, cotton-mills, stonemasonries, the textile factory at 'Ali Abad, the hotels of Ab'ali, Gachsar, Ramsar, Darband in Shemiran, and Ferdowsi; as well as owning the villa complex at Mabarakabad etc. A British Member of Parliament, who had been a close acquaintance of Riza Khan, wrote: "Riza Khan cleared the Iranian highways of thieves and bandits, and he let the Iranian people know that henceforth only one bandit exists in Iran!" See Zendeginama-yi siyasi-yi Imam Khomeini, p. 88, and The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty, Vol. 1, p. I 1 1.

24- There was not one major economic organisation in Iran - whether in the department of trade or in the areas of agriculture and industry - in which the Shah and his family were not shareholders. Through "The Pahlavi Foundation", "The Imperial Orga@sation", and "The Social Services", the Shah was one of the major shareholders of 'Umran Bank, Iranshahr Bank, Dariush Bank, The Development and Investment Bank of Iran, and Shahryar Bank, whilst he also held. major shares in the Kurush Savings and Mortgage Bank and the Ekbatan Savings and Mortgage Bank. The Shah had substantial investments in companies and organisations such as General Motors of Iran, Iran Metal Industries Co., and Iran Aluminium Co.. In addition, he was a major shareholder in companies which were involved in trade, production, industry, and distribution, such as: the Ahwaz Pipe Construction Company; the Bridgestone Company of Iran; Kiyan Tyre Manufacturers; Pars Paper Mills; the Darupakhsh Company; the Fars and KhuzesLan Cement Plant; Abyek Cement Plant in Qazvin; Tehran Cement; Western Cement Industries; Tehran Plaster; Iranite; West Tehran Land Construction and Development Organisation; Kish Development Organisation; Atisaz Company; Eskan Housing Development Company; Karaj Cane Sugar Mill; Pars Sugar Mill, Marvdasht Company; Ahwaz Cane Sugar Mill and Refinery; Dezful Cane Sugar Mill; Shahabad Sugar Mill; Fasa Cane Sugar Mill; Kermanshah Cane Sugar; Luristan Cane Sugar; Jiruft Agriculture and Industry; Iran-America Agriculture and Industry; Ziyaran Meat Production and Packing; Karun Agriculture and Industry; Iran Dam Construction; Iran Sea Water Services; Afset Company and the list goes on. The Shah did not even overlook investments in hotels and restaurants! This unchallenged sovereign pocketed a huge share of the returns made from dozens of restaurants, casinos and @ght-clubs and from the following hotels: Babuisar; Vanak; Ramsar; Arya Sheraton; Chalus; Gamrun: Bandar 'Abbas; Nowshahr; The Hayt in Khazar; The Hayt in Mashhad; and The Tehran Hilton! Furthermore, each member of the