Ardeshir Zahedi | |
|---|---|
 Zahedi in 1968 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 12 January 1966 – 12 September 1971 | |
| Prime Minister | Amir-Abbas Hoveida |
| Preceded by | Abbas Aram |
| Succeeded by | Abbas Ali Khalatbari |
| Ambassador of Iran to the United States | |
| In office 7 March 1973 – 11 February 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Amir Aslan Afshar |
| Succeeded by | Mehdi Haeri Yazdi |
| In office 16 March 1960 – 3 March 1962 | |
| Preceded by | Ali Gholi Ardalan |
| Succeeded by | Hossein Ghods-Nakhai |
| Ambassador of Iran to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 1962–1966 | |
| Preceded by | Mohsen Rais |
| Succeeded by | Abbas Aram |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1928-10-16)16 October 1928[1][2] Tehran,Iran) |
| Died | 18 November 2021(2021-11-18) (aged 93) Montreux,Switzerland |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Zahra Mahnaz Zahedi[3] |
| Parent(s) | Fazlollah Zahedi Khadijeh Pirnia |
| Alma mater | Utah State University |
Ardeshir Zahedi,GCVO (Persian:اردشیر زاهدی; 16 October 1928 – 18 November 2021) was an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister from 1966 to 1971, and its ambassador to theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s.
Born in Tehran on 16 October 1928,[4] his father was GeneralFazlollah Zahedi, who served as prime minister after participating in theCIA-led coup which led to the fall ofMohammed Mosaddegh, and his mother was Khadijeh Pirnia.[5]
Zahedi received a degree in agriculture from theUtah State University in 1950,[6] where he was a member ofKappa Sigma. Seven years later, he married the eldest daughter of theShah of Iran and granddaughter of the King of Egypt,Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi; the marriage ended in divorce in 1964.
Zahedi served as ambassador to the United States from 1960 to 1962 and to the United Kingdom from 1962 to 1966.[7] He served as minister of foreign affairs from 1966 to 1971 in thecabinet of Prime MinisterAmir Abbas Hoveida.
Zahedi again became ambassador to the United States from 1973 until theIranian Revolution climaxed in January 1979. During his second stint in Washington, he won a reputation for extravagance. In the mid-1970s, Zahedi became known as a companion of the American actressElizabeth Taylor.[8] During the1977 Hanafi Siege of a federal building in Washington, Zahedi and two other ambassadors from Muslim nations were able to talk the hostage-takers into surrendering and releasing 149 hostages.
Over the course of 1978, it was reported in some circles that Zahedi urged the Shah to appease the rioters by making scapegoats of several high-ranking officials, including Amir Abbas Hoveida (then Prime Minister) andSAVAK directorNematollah Nassiri. When the Shah left Iran in 1979, Zahedi was still serving as ambassador in Washington, but resigned as soon asKhomeini came to power. He started fervent attempts at securingpolitical asylum for the ailing Shah and the Imperial family inPanama,Mexico,Morocco and finallyEgypt. He was present at the Shah's death bed and funeral inCairo in 1980.
Zahedi lived in retirement in Montreux, Switzerland.[5] He received honorary doctoral degrees of law and humanities from Utah State University,East Texas State University,Kent State University,St. Louis University,University of Texas,Montana State University,Washington College,Westminster College,Harvard University,Chung-Ang University ofSeoul, and theCollege of Political and Social Science of Lima inPeru. In December 1976, in a ceremony held in Washington D.C., Zahedi was awarded the Kappa Sigma Fraternity 'Man of the Year' Award. In 2002, he was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Honor of the Utah State University College of Agriculture. He received many awards and honors from nations around the globe for his humanitarian service and record in international affairs.
He died at his residence in Montreux, Switzerland, on 18 November 2021, aged 93.[9][10][11]
Zahedi's papers are held in the collection of theHoover Institution.[12]
In an interview in May 2006, Zahedi voiced his support forIran's Nuclear Program stating it as an "inalienable right of Iran", under theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He toldVoice of America that the U.S. approved the start of Iran's $50 billion nuclear program in the 1970s. Two documents in particular, dated 22 April 1975 and 20 April 1976, show that the United States and Iran held negotiations on a nuclear program and the U.S. was willing to help Iran by setting upuranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing facilities.[13]
Order of the Crown, 1st Class (Imperial State of Iran)._Sash.gif)
Order of Humayoun, 1st Class (Imperial State of Iran)
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Victorian Order (GCVO) of the United Kingdom[citation needed]
Honorary Grand Commander of theMost Esteemed Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (SSM) of Malaysia (1968)[14]
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