Rashidian was born in Tehran in 1919. The youngest son of Haibollah Rashidian. His brothers were Saifullah and Qudratullah, and he also had a sister. His father although playing a part in the coup that brough
Reza Shah to power was eventually imprisoned by the shah at
Qasr Prison and was only released after the fall of the shah in 1941. His father became an employee of the British embassy and later became an advisor to
Zia ol Din Tabatabaee. When Mossadegh came to power, the elder Rashidian was again imprisoned on suspicion on spying for the British. Together with his brothers, Rashidian amassed great wealth and during
WWII, the family had been cultivated as possible assets by
MI16 due to their
anglophile leanings and connections to the United Kingdom. This consisted of owning property in London and of sending their children to school in England. == Education ==