How the Family of Iran’s Most Feared Agent Ended Up in California

The story of Saeed Emami remains one of the most chilling and enigmatic chapters in the modern history of Iran, representing a period of deep internal conflict and state-sponsored violence. Born in Shiraz in 1958, Emami was not from a traditionally religious family, yet he rose to become a powerful figure within the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus. In his youth, he spent time in the United States, studying aerospace engineering at the University of Oklahoma, a background that later fueled various conspiracy theories regarding his allegiances. Upon returning to Iran after the 1979 Revolution, he was recruited into the intelligence services, eventually rising to the position of Deputy Minister of Intelligence under Ali Fallahian in the 1990s.