A young university student who accompanied Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani when he tried to put an end to the strike of Abadan oil industry workers in 1979 (quoted from Rafsanjani’s memoirs) was finally removed from office after having served as a manager for 40 years (since 1969).

Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh was removed from his post as Deputy Oil Minister in charge of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company following rumors to that effect over the past one and a half years. The removal came immediately after the successful holding of the second Iran Oil Refining Forum (IOR-II) in Tehran earlier in October.

Nematzadeh is one of about a dozen top oil officials removed from their posts in the past three years under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad government. “The change is part of a general policy of Mr. Ahmadinejad to hire new and young faces to prevent the widening gap between old and young managers,” said Kamal Daneshyar, former leader of Iran’s parliamentary energy committee.

Nematzadeh was the most senior figure in the petroleum sector having served as a full minister of industry. From August 1997 until early 2006, he used to be president of National Petrochemical Co. (NPC). He was moved to head NIORDC because the refining sector and the country’s fuel distribution system were grossly inefficient and lacked the capacity to meet Iran’s rapidly rising demand for fuels, particularly gasoline. He was authorized to spend on a $15-18 bn program to expand the refining sector at top speed.

A friendly discussion with chairman of Iran Exports & Iran International magazines, 1995.

Nematzadeh had been prominent in all governments since the 1989-97 presidency of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Nematzadeh headed the state’s Power and Transmission Company Tavanir in the late 1980s - Tavanir being under the energy ministry. He was also a member of the Supreme Economic Council (SEC), the top decision maker for the country’s major projects.

An efficient administrator and an excellent engineer, Nematzadeh was a hard worker. After having expanded the petrochemicals sector at top speed, he presided over an equally rapid growth of the refining and fuel distribution systems.

Nematzadeh is an Azeri. He was born in Tabriz (eastern Azerbaijan province) in 1945. He got a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tabriz University, a master’s degree in industrial management from the University of California at Berkeley. After the revolution he became in charge of an inspection committee at the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry; director of the Iran National Co.; labor minister after the fall of Mehdi Bazargan government in late 1979; industry and mines minister from September 1980 to August 1981; CEO of Tavanir from February to August 1989; and industry minister from August 1989 to late 1995. In the latter position, he was in charge of both light and heavy industries which were merged in September 1994. He then began a drive to privatize the light and heavy industries that were under his ministry.