Madani Ahmad

Ahmad Madani (11 February 1928 – 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 joined the Iranian Navy in 1950 and was sent for training to the United Kingdom. While being the commander of Bandar Abbas naval base in 1972, he was dismissed from the navy due to his anti-Shah political views. Subsequently, he earned his PhD in law and taught political science and economy at Kerman and Qazvin universities in Iran until the Islamic Revolution. In the last period of the Shah Madani was the commander of Iranian navy, but he was removed from post due to his criticisms of corruption in the navy.

After the revolution, he served as the first defense minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Then he was appointed governor of Khuzestan. During this period he ended the separatist plots and crises in Khuzestan. He became a candidate in the first Iranian presidential election (25 January 1980) but lost to Abolhassan Banisadr. He left Iran in 1980 and became the leader of the National Front of Iran and lived in the USA until he died in Colorado on 12 February 2006.