Shapoor Reporter

Sir Shapoor Reporter KBE (1921–2013) was a British diplomat, journalist, businessman in Pahlavi-era Iran. He was a confidant to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Throughout his career, he worked in a variety of capacities, including as an English teacher, a foreign journalist, and primarily as a political and financial broker. He was well recognised for having strong ties to the Pahlavi establishment due to his friendship with the reigning Shah since their days in school. He is alleged to have also worked as a British intelligence agent in Iran and to have had an important role in the 1953 coup d'état against the prime minister of the time, Mohammad Mosaddegh in support of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This narrative that he was a crucial British intelligence asset has been disputed. According to Fakhreddin Azimi at the University of Connecticut his importance and role "seem[s] exaggerated and have not been corroborated by the available documentary sources". His loyalty to the Shah was remarked upon by Denis Wright, the British ambassador when he worked as journalist for The Times. Wright described Reporter, as "the shah's man", and noted that "I have yet to read a message from him containing a word which might induce His Majesty’s displeasure".