Kamal Habibollahi (Persian: کمال حبیباللهی, 1 February 1930 – 11 October 2016) was the last Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy until the Islamic Revolution and was the last CNO under Pahlavi dynasty.
After his father died, he spent most of his time being raised in various cities until High School, when he finally moved to Tehran, Pahlavi Iran and graduated from Dar ul-Funun.
Although he was accepted to University, Habibollahi saw a poster announcing that the Imperial Iranian Navy was recruiting college students to become officers.
[3] He continued to promote attention to free Iran causes as well as warn against the dangers of global Islamic extremism and terrorism through speeches at universities, military academies, panels, and both US and Iranian media outlets.
[3] In August 1981, he led a group of people loyal to Azadegan Organization in seizing the Tabarzin, an Iranian navy missile cruiser, off the coast of Spain, in order to draw attention to the continued resistance to Khomeini and Islamic extremism.
The captain of the Tabarzin played his part, instructing the motor engineer to slow down and allowing the fishing boat to get closer.
Armed with enough real weapons, the young commandos quickly overpowered the 30-strong unarmed crew who were directed below deck and held captive in their sleeping quarters.
Later, Admiral Habibollahi made a speech to his prisoners, introducing his team as part of General Aryana's Liberation Army.
[9] Khomeini accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency of carrying out the attack and Iran's armed forces chief of staff said it meant war with the United States.
Tehran radio quoted Khomeini as saying the "hand of the CIA" was responsible for the piracy of the French-made missile boat, one of three that were being delivered to Iran.
During an impromptu press conference at Aryana's apartment, a self-proclaimed military spokesperson announced that the Tabarzin had been seized by "patriotic forces."
The spokesperson stated that the objective of Azadegan was to "overthrow the mullahs in Iran" and claimed that 1,400 highly trained partisans were preparing to take action from their Turkish bases.
Azadegan deliberately downplayed the fact that the majority of individuals on the Tabarzin were staunch monarchists, which later became a contentious issue among the opposition.
In the meantime, King Hassan sent his private plane to bring Reza Pahlavi to Rabat for an emergency meeting with senior Moroccan officials.
After thorough discussions, Reza Pahlavi expressed his understanding of the patriotic intentions of the hijackers, but emphasized that their actions were considered illegal by international standards, and he could not condone them.
Eventually, all parties reached a compromise: the Tabarzin would be allowed to refuel and depart for Toulon, where it would be handed over to the French Navy, and the crew would be treated fairly.
The whole operation had been a temporary show so that General Aryana could raise funds from Bakhtiar who in turn could claim that he had a military wing capable of action.
Outside Toulon Prison she found a large crowd made of over a hundred Iranian exiles who had spent the day calling for their release.
He declared that the Tabarzin Affair had served to demonstrate that millions of Iranians were ready to denounce the crimes of the mullahs, and that their mission was a success.
The story of the Tabarzin became a legend, but many of the young men who had played a vital role grew disillusioned when they realized they had been exploited.