Khosravani entered the Officer Academy in 1939, during the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi, a period when the Iranian army was undergoing major modernization. The Pahlavi regime considered the military as a cornerstone of its centralized state-building project, and young officers like Khosravani were educated under strict discipline and with strong loyalty to the monarchy.
By the 1940s, he was serving in the Imperial Army’s Land Forces, gaining recognition for his organizational discipline and connections within the royalist networks of the time. He steadily climbed the ranks, receiving his Lieutenant Colonel rank on December 2, 1960. Two years later, he formally retired from active duty, but his influence in military and security circles remained strong, especially through his connections with the gendarmerie and political figures close to the Shah.
The Political Upheavals of the 1950s
One of the most defining episodes of Parviz Khosravani’s life was his involvement in the events surrounding Mohammad Mossadegh’s premiership and the 1953 coup (28 Mordad 1332 / August 19, 1953).
According to his Harvard Oral History Project interview, Khosravani claimed that he had organized a group of young monarchists to prevent Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi from leaving Iran in March 1952. At that time, the Shah, under pressure from Mossadegh’s government and uncertain about his own future, had considered leaving the country. Khosravani mobilized loyal youth and sent them to the royal palace to persuade the Shah to remain, a move that allegedly reassured the monarch but also attracted Mossadegh’s suspicion.
