Pirooz Mojtahedzadeh, a well-known university professor and political geography researcher, passed away on Thursday, October 15, after a period of illness, at the age of 80 in London. In addition to his academic activities, he was known for his candid and sometimes controversial remarks about the history and politics of Iran.
Life and Education
Pirooz Mojtahedzadeh was born on February 9, 1946, in the city of Noor in Mazandaran province. He began his university education in human and economic geography at the University of Tehran and then went to Britain to continue his studies. Mojtahedzadeh studied political geography at the University of Manchester and subsequently continued his research at the universities of Oxford and London.
He wrote in his memoirs that in 1976 he went to the University of Oxford to obtain his doctorate, but his studies were interrupted due to the termination of his scholarship after the 1979 revolution. Mojtahedzadeh returned to the University of London in 1986 and while working to support his living and study expenses, he finally completed his doctoral program in 1994.
Works and Research
Mojtahedzadeh taught for many years at the universities of Tehran and Tarbiat Modares and published numerous studies on the political geography of Iran, international borders, the strategic position of the Strait of Hormuz, and the history of territorial disputes among regional countries. One of his most important works is the book "Security and Territorial Issues in the Persian Gulf," published in English in 1999.
In this book, he examined the relationship between maritime security, borders, and territorial sovereignty, dedicating sections to the Strait of Hormuz, the border disputes between Qatar and Bahrain, and the Iran-United Arab Emirates dispute over the Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa islands. Mojtahedzadeh repeatedly defended the historical name of the Persian Gulf and Iran's position on sovereignty over the three islands in his writings and speeches.
In an interview with Euronews in December 2023, Mojtahedzadeh urged the Islamic Republic to set aside the threat from Israel and base its foreign policy on reaching agreements with Western countries. He emphasized in that interview that the conflict between Hamas and Israel has no connection to Iran.
Alongside his academic writings, he also published parts of his personal memoirs titled "The Legend of Life" on social media. He spoke of his passion and love for science and research in his life, presenting a different image of a researcher who was primarily known for serious discussions in political geography.
Read more: Iran and the Lessons of War: Three Strategic Scenarios for the Future · Pirooz Mojtahedzadeh, Prominent Figure in Political Geography, Passed Away
