Khazeni family
The Khazeni family is an Iranian mercantile and industrial family associated with metals, textiles, importing, construction, healthcare, retail, dental services, and restaurants.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Khazeni family, also associated with the Khazeni-Rad and Khazenifar lineages, is a prominent Iranian family whose documented commercial activity extends from the Qajar period into the twentieth century and beyond. The family’s history is described as involving three related but distinct lineages connected through marriage and blood relationships. Earlier forms of the family name included Khazeni-Allangei or Khazeni-Arangei and Abbasian; some branches later simplified or changed their names during the reign of Reza Shah. The family has historical roots in Yazd, although surviving records about its earlier history are limited. Members of the family moved into Tehran province in the 1780s, and later generations became established in Tehran’s commercial and landed communities. Agha Baba Khazeni is identified with the family’s early mercantile history and is associated with trading, manufacturing, importing spices, and landownership. Members of the family are also commemorated at religious and historic sites in Rey, including Imamzadeh Abdullah and the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine. During the twentieth century, the family’s best-documented commercial activities centered on The Cheltenham Company. Established on 21 December 1954, the company imported and distributed iron, steel, textiles, cotton, and other commodities. It became particularly associated with Japanese iron and stainless-steel products and was described as one of Iran’s largest iron-import businesses by the end of the 1950s. In 1967, the family group created an importing business for industrial pressure gauges, described in the reference material as the first such company in Iran. The Cheltenham Company expanded to several Iranian branches and maintained international branches or operations connected with Liverpool, Dallas, Rome, and Tokyo. The family also became connected with healthcare. It helped establish Arad General Hospital in Iran, while later family members became physicians, surgeons, medical researchers, and contributors to professional medical education. The family’s name has been associated with medical-excellence awards in Iran and with awards presented to high-performing surgeons at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. These activities represent a shift from a primarily mercantile and industrial profile toward a broader family network spanning medicine, education, and professional services. The Khazeni-Rad branch expanded into the United Kingdom during the 1960s, and the Khazenifar branch participated in the creation of companies in northern England. The family’s later interests reportedly included retail, specialist dental practices, restaurants, and construction, in addition to metal importing and other commercial activities. Family members are also described as having business or professional connections in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and other countries. The family’s Iranian commercial interests were affected by the political upheaval surrounding the 1978 crisis and the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The company’s investments in Texas, begun in 1977, were withdrawn during the turmoil. The Cheltenham Company was subsequently bought by a local competitor on 2 March 1981. Available reference material does not establish a single current corporate structure, controlling entity, or unified global brand. The Khazeni family is therefore best understood as a historically connected family business network rather than as a conventional consumer brand with one current product portfolio.
History
The Khazeni, Khazeni-Rad, and Khazenifar families are presented as separate but interlinked Iranian lineages. Their earlier names included Khazeni-Allangei or Khazeni-Arangei and Abbasian. During the period associated with Reza Shah, branches of the family adopted shorter or altered forms of their names. The family’s older history is connected with Yazd, a central Iranian desert city, but the available record is incomplete. By the 1780s, members had moved into Tehran province, where they became involved in commerce, landownership, manufacturing, and importing. Agha Baba Khazeni is associated with the family’s early Tehran history. He is described as a merchant, manufacturer, importer of spices, and substantial landowner. Family members are buried at sites in Rey, including Imamzadeh Abdullah and the gateway of the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine. The family later became known in Tehran for importing Japanese iron and stainless-steel products and for participating in the development of Arad General Hospital. The family’s central twentieth-century commercial vehicle was The Cheltenham Company, founded on 21 December 1954. Its business included the manufacture and distribution of steel and fabric products, as well as the importation of Japanese iron, cotton, and other commodities. The company expanded rapidly and was described as one of Iran’s largest iron-import businesses five years after its establishment. It eventually operated five branches in Iran and maintained international branches or commercial connections in Liverpool, Dallas, Rome, and Tokyo. In 1967, the family group expanded into industrial equipment by establishing an importing company for pressure gauges. The reference material characterizes this as Iran’s first industrial pressure-gauge importing company. The family subsequently diversified beyond metals and commodities into construction. Other branches developed interests in retail, specialist dentistry, and restaurants, particularly through activity in northern England. The Khazeni-Rad branch began expanding into the United Kingdom during the 1960s, while the Khazenifar branch joined in the creation of several companies. The family is also associated with business and professional activity in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and other countries. The available material does not document one consolidated holding company or a single present-day corporate owner, so these activities should be treated as a network of related family businesses and professional organizations. The political crisis in Iran in 1978 affected the family’s international strategy. Investments in Texas, begun in 1977, were withdrawn during the turmoil. After the Iranian Revolution, The Cheltenham Company was sold to a local competitor on 2 March 1981. Later family history became increasingly visible through medicine, academia, publishing, and professional services. Mohammad Khazenifar was associated with medical-excellence awards in Iran and with recognition connected to surgical performance at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Sasan Khazenifar worked as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in the British National Health Service and received local recognition for emergency assistance. Other named relatives include the historian Arash Khazeni, writer and Iranian-history specialist Reza Ali Khazeni, company director Mohsen Khazeni-Rad, and medical researcher Mohammad Khazeni. The family therefore represents a long-running Iranian commercial and professional lineage whose activities have changed substantially across generations.
- 2022
Family history is published in autobiographical form
[1]Mohammad Khazenifar published A Small Section of My Life, describing his life in Tehran and elements of the family’s history.
- 1981
The Cheltenham Company is sold
[1]The company was bought by a local competitor on 2 March 1981 after the Iranian Revolution.
- 1977
Investment activity begins in Texas
[1]The family began investing in Texas before withdrawing those investments during the political turmoil of the following year.
- 1967
Industrial pressure-gauge importing business is created
[1]The family group entered industrial equipment importing through a pressure-gauge company described as the first of its type in Iran.
- 1960
Expansion into the United Kingdom
[1]The Khazeni-Rad branch began expanding into the United Kingdom, later joined by the Khazenifar branch in creating companies there.
- 1959
Cheltenham reaches major importer status
[1]Five years after its creation, the company was described as one of Iran’s largest importers of iron commodities.
- 1954
The Cheltenham Company is founded
[1]The family established The Cheltenham Company on 21 December 1954 to conduct importing, distribution, and related industrial commerce.
- 1780
Migration into Tehran province
[1]Family history describes a move from Yazd into Tehran province during the 1780s, preceding the family’s later commercial prominence in Tehran.
Products and positioning
A historically diversified Iranian family business network combining mercantile trade, industrial importing, manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, retail, hospitality, and construction.
Industrial importing and distribution · 1954
The Cheltenham Company
The family’s principal documented twentieth-century business. It handled iron, steel, fabric, cotton, Japanese iron and stainless-steel products, and other commodities. The company grew from its 1954 founding into a large Iranian importer, with multiple domestic branches and international operations or branches associated with Liverpool, Dallas, Rome, and Tokyo.
Industrial equipment · 1967
Industrial pressure gauges
In 1967, a family company began importing industrial pressure gauges into Iran. The reference material identifies this enterprise as the first industrial pressure-gauge importing company in the country, although it does not provide a surviving corporate name or details about its later ownership.
Healthcare
Arad General Hospital
Arad General Hospital is associated with the family’s healthcare activities in Iran. The family is described as having helped found the hospital, reflecting its broader involvement in medical institutions alongside its commercial and industrial businesses.
Medical and dental services
Khazenifar medical and dental practices
The Khazenifar side of the family became associated with specialist dental and medical businesses in northern England. The available material identifies professional practices but does not establish a single current operating company or unified service brand.
Brand decisions
1981
Sale of The Cheltenham CompanyM&ABackground
The Iranian Revolution had altered the country’s political and commercial environment.
Action taken
The Cheltenham Company was sold to a local competitor on 2 March 1981.
Aftermath
The sale ended the family’s documented ownership of its principal Iranian importing company, although family activities continued through other commercial and professional ventures.
1978
Withdrawal from Texas investmentsStrategyBackground
The family had begun investing in Texas in 1977, while political turmoil intensified in Iran.
Action taken
The family withdrew its Texas investments during the 1978 political crisis.
Aftermath
The withdrawal preceded the post-revolutionary restructuring of the family’s Iranian commercial interests.
1967
Diversification into industrial equipment importsStrategyBackground
The family’s commercial base had been built around metals, textiles, and commodity importing.
Action taken
The family group established a company to import industrial pressure gauges into Iran.
Aftermath
The enterprise was described as the first industrial pressure-gauge importing company in Iran. Later performance and ownership are not documented in the available material.
Recent events
- 2022
Mohammad Khazenifar publishes a family autobiography[1]
Other
Mohammad Khazenifar published A Small Section of My Life, an autobiographical work covering his early life in Tehran and aspects of the family’s history.
- 1981
The Cheltenham Company is bought by a local competitor[1]
M&A
Following the Iranian Revolution, The Cheltenham Company was bought by a local competitor on 2 March 1981.
- 1978
Texas investments are withdrawn during Iranian political turmoil[1]
Other
Investments in Texas that had begun the previous year were withdrawn amid political turmoil in Iran.
- 1967
Family group enters industrial pressure-gauge imports[1]
Product launch
The family group established an importing company for industrial pressure gauges, identified in the reference material as the first of its kind in Iran.
- 1959
Cheltenham becomes a major iron-import business[1]
Other
Within five years of its creation, The Cheltenham Company was described as one of Iran’s largest importers of iron commodities.
- 1954
The Cheltenham Company begins operations in Iran[1]
Other
The family founded The Cheltenham Company on 21 December 1954 as an importing and trading enterprise.
Sources1 sources
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