Downfall in Iran
Despite his powerful allies, Yazdani’s fortunes began to shift in the late 1970s. The Shah’s regime faced growing unrest, and the government sought to appease public anger by targeting wealthy businessmen accused of corruption. During Jamshid Amouzegar’s premiership, Yazdani was arrested as part of an anti-corruption campaign.
He remained in prison through the early months of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when revolutionary fervor made businessmen with ties to the Pahlavi court prime targets.
Dramatic Escape
Yazdani’s escape from prison is the stuff of legend. A captain and several accomplices crashed a vehicle into the prison wall, creating an opening through which he fled. For a time, he hid in Sangsar, shielded by local contacts and perhaps some remaining loyalists in the security apparatus.
Eventually, he obtained a fake passport and fled Iran—first to the United States, then to Costa Rica. The choice of Costa Rica was strategic: the country had no extradition treaty with Iran and strict rules against forced repatriation.
