Noureddin Kianuri was a prominent communist politician and long-time member of the Tudeh Party of Iran. He joined the party at its formation in 1941 and quickly became active in its organizational work. A few years later, he assumed leadership of the party’s youth wing, helping to mobilize young supporters and expand its influence among students and intellectuals. During the movement to nationalize the oil industry, he supported the policies of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and aligned the party with the broader national movement.
After the military network associated with the party was dismantled in 1955, Kianuri and several other leaders went into exile. He first moved to the Soviet Union and later settled in the German Democratic Republic in 1957, where exiled members reorganized their activities. In 1979, he replaced Iraj Eskandari as First Secretary and returned home following the revolution. Although he declared support for the new political order, he was later accused of espionage for the Soviet Union and arrested in 1982. He was not executed but remained under state surveillance until his death in 1999.
