Hamid Behbahani

Hamid Behbahani (in Persian: حمید بهبهانی, born 7 August 1935) is an Iranian academic and politician who served as minister of roads and transportation from 2 August 2008 to 1 February 2011 when he was impeached by the Parliament of Iran.^[1][2]

Early life and education

He was born in 1935 in Shiraz. His family went to Tehran in early 1950. He enjoyed to the Islamic Coalition Party in 1972 and Support Ruhollah Khomeini in Iranian Revolution of 1979.

He holds a BS in civil engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the same university.^[3]

Career

Behbahani was the head of the civil engineering department at Iran University of Science and Technology.^[3] He was appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as advisor for transportation affairs. He is also a member of high council of state for reform plan. After the resignation of Mohammad Rahmati from office as minister of transportation on 18 June 2008, Ahmadinejad assigned Behbahni as his candidate for the ministry to the Parliament. He received 181 out of 271 votes of the MPs and became minister of roads and transportation. He continued to serve in the same post in the second cabinet of Ahmadinejad after he was elected as president in 2009.^[3]

Impeachment

On 1 February 2011, 147 out of 234 Members of Parliament gave a vote of no confidence to Behbahani and impeached him for falsely claiming to hold a doctoral degree.^[1][4] He is the second minister to be impeached by the Parliament after Ali Kordan who was impeached in 2008.^[5]

Connection with Ahmadinejad

Behbahani was the supervisor of Ahmadinejad during his PhD studies at Iran University of Science and Technology where he was involved in a plagiarism scandal.^[6]

References

Cabinet of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005–2013)
Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs Manouchehr Mottaki (2005–2010) Ali Akbar Salehi (2010–2013) Minister of Agriculture Mohammad-Reza Eskandari (2005–2009) Sadeq Khalilian (2009–2013) Minister of Communications and IT Mohammad Soleimani (2005–2009) Reza Taghipour (2009–2013) Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Mohammad Jahromi (2005–2009) Reza Sheykholeslam (2009–2011) Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Hossein Saffar Harandi (2005–2009) Mohammad Hosseini (2009–2013) Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar (2005–2009) Ahmad Vahidi (2009–2013) Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davoud Danesh-Jafari (2005–2008) Shamseddin Hosseini (2008–2013) Minister of Education Mahmoud Farshidi (2005–2007) Alireza Ali-Ahmadi (2007–2009) Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee (2009–2013) Minister of Energy Parviz Fattah (2005–2009) Majid Namjoo (2009–2013) Minister of Health and Medical Education Kamran Bagheri Lankarani (2005–2009) Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi (2009–2013) Hassan Tarighat Monfared (2013) Minister of Industries and Mines Alireza Tahmasbi (2005–2007) Aliakbar Mehrabian (2007–2011) Minister of Intelligence Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i (2005–2009) Heydar Moslehi (2009–2013) Minister of Interior Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi (2005–2008) Ali Kordan (2008) Sadegh Mahsouli (2008–2009) Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar (2009–2013) Minister of Justice Jamal Karimi-Rad (2005–2006) Gholam-Hossein Elham (2006–2009) Morteza Bakhtiari (2009–2013) Minister of Petroleum Kazem Vaziri (2005–2007) Gholam-Hossein Nozari (2007–2009) Masoud Mir-Kazemi (2009–2011) Rostam Ghasemi (2011–2013) Minister of Roads and Transportation Mohammad Rahmati (2005–2008) Hamid Behbahani (2008–2011) Commerce Masoud Mir-Kazemi (2005–2009) Mehdi Ghazanfari (2009–2011) Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (2005–2009) Kamran Daneshjoo (2009–2013) Minister of Welfare and Social Security Parviz Kazemi (2005) Abdulreza Mesri (2005–2009) Sadegh Mahsouli (2009–2011) Ministry of Cooperatives Mohammad Ardakani (2005–2006) Mohammad Abbasi (2006–2011) Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Mohammad Saeedikia (2005–2009) Ali Nikzad (2009–2011) Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mohammad Abbasi (2011–2013) Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Welfare Reza Sheykholeslam (2011–2013) Asadollah Abbasi (2013) Minister of Industries and Business Mehdi Ghazanfari (2011–2013) Minister of Transportation and Housing Ali Nikzad (2011–2013)
Cabinet-level First Vice President Parviz Davoodi (2005–2009) Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (2009) Mohammad-Reza Rahimi (2009–2013) Chief of Staff Gholam-Hossein Elham (2005–2006) Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (2009–2012) Mir-Hassan Mousavi (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of Atomic Energy Organization Gholam Reza Aghazadeh (2005–2009) Ali Akbar Salehi (2009–2010) Mohammad Ahmadian (2010–2011) Fereydoon Abbasi (2011–2013) Vice President and Head of Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei (2005–2009) Hamid Baqai (2009–2011) Ruhollah Ahmadzadeh (2011–2012) Mir-Hassan Mousavi (2012) Mohammed Sharif Malekzadeh (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of Environmental Protection Organization Fatemeh Javadi (2005–2009) Mohammad-Javad Mohammadizadeh (2009–2013) Vice President and Head of Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Hossein Dehghan (2005–2009) Masoud Zaribafan (2009–2007) Vice President and Head of Management and Planning Organization of Iran Farhad Rahbar (2005–2006) Amir-Mansour Borgheie (2006–2007) Vice President for Supervision and Strategic Affairs Amir-Mansour Borgheie (2007–2009) Ebrahim Azizi (2009–2012) Behrouz Moradi (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of Physical Education Organization Mohammad Aliabadi (2005–2009) Ali Saeidlou (2009–2011) Vice President for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Seyyed Ahmad Mousavi (2005–2008) Majid Jafarzadeh* (2008) Mohammad-Reza Rahimi (2008–2009) Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Reza Mirtajodini (2009–2012) Lotfollah Forouzandeh (2012–2013) Vice President for Legal Affairs Fatemeh Bodaghi (2009–2013) Vice President for Management and Human Resources Development Lotfollah Forouzandeh (?–2012) Ebrahim Azizi (2012–2013) Vice President and Head of National Elites Foundation Parviz Davoodi (2005–2006) Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh (2006–2009) Nasrin Soltankhah (2009–2013) Vice President and Head of National Youth Organization Javad Haj Aliakbari (2005–2009) Mehrdad Bazrpash (2009–2010) Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Maryam Mojtahedzadeh (2013) Vice President for Executive Affairs Hamid Baqai (2011–2013)
* Acting