His father was Habibollah Amouzegar, a leading lawyer and politician, and he had a brother, Jahangir.

[3] Amouzegar served as deputy minister in Iran's ministry of health under Jahanshah Saleh in 1955.

[5] In 1971, he and Saudi Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani were instrumental in implementing the series of price hikes that ultimately quadrupled the price of oil and provided the resources for Iran to modernize its infrastructure, agriculture, and defense.

Soon after Jimmy Carter became president of the United States, Amouzegar was appointed Prime Minister of Iran on 7 August 1977, succeeding Amir Abbas Hoveyda in the post.

[6] However, he became unpopular as he attempted to slow the overheated economy with measures that, although generally thought necessary, triggered a downturn in employment and private sector profits that would later compound the government's problems.