Hossein Amir-Abdollahian | |
|---|---|
حسین امیرعبداللهیان | |
_(cropped).jpg) Amir-Abdollahian in 2023 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 25 August 2021 – 19 May 2024 | |
| President | Ebrahim Raisi |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Javad Zarif |
| Succeeded by | Ali Bagheri (acting) Abbas Araghchi |
| Ambassador of Iran to Bahrain | |
| In office 21 August 2007 – 4 September 2010 | |
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Farazmand |
| Succeeded by | Mehdi Aghajafari |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-04-23)23 April 1964 |
| Died | 19 May 2024(2024-05-19) (aged 60) nearUzi,East Azerbaijan, Iran |
| Cause of death | Helicopter crash |
| Resting place | Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine,Ray, Iran |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | School of International Relations (BA) University of Tehran (MA, PhD) |
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Persian:حسین امیرعبداللهیان; 23 April 1964 – 19 May 2024) was an Iranian politician and diplomat who served asforeign minister of Iran from 2021 untilhis death in a helicopter crash in 2024.[1][2] He was the deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs between 2011 and 2016.[1]
Amir-Abdollahian was special aide to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament on international affairs, Director General of International Affairs of theIslamic Consultative Assembly from the presidency ofAli Larijani to the presidency ofMohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Secretary-General of thePermanent Secretariat of theInternational Conference on Supporting Palestine Intifada, managing director of Palestine Strategic Dialogue Quarterly.[3][4][5]
He was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister during the ministry ofAli Akbar Salehi, which was retained in the first three years ofMohammad Javad Zarif's ministry. He was professor at the Foreign Ministry's School of International Relations.[6]
Following the undeclared resignation of Zarif, various media sources speculated that Amir-Abdollahian was a potential candidate for the ministerial position, noting his close association with Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian parliament at the time.[7]
Amir-Abdollahian was born in 1964 inDamghan.[8] At the age of 6–7, he lost his father. He was married in 1994 and had a son and a daughter. Amir-Abdollahian had a bachelor's degree in Diplomatic Relations from the Faculty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a master's degree in International Relations from the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences ofTehran University, and a PhD in International Relations fromTehran University.[7]
Amir-Abdollahian supported the Resistance Front, which is affiliated withHezbollah in Lebanon, Syria, and other currents[clarification needed] aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran that are in conflict with Israel.[9]
He was a member of the Political and Security Committee of the Nuclear Negotiations during the nuclear talks during the presidency ofMohammad Khatami. He was the first Iranian official to be invited to London for regional talks after the reopening of the London embassy inTehran duringHassan Rouhani's first term, and to meet with then-British Foreign SecretaryPhilip Hammond. He detailed regional talks withFederica Mogherini on his file, and had detailed meetings withUN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon and Hezbollah-Lebanon Secretary-GeneralHassan Nasrallah.[10]
He was the head of the Iranian negotiating team at the Iran-Iraq-US trilateral meeting inBaghdad in 2007. The meeting was held to secure Iraq at the request of the Americans, who called the situation in Iraq dangerous. The talks failed after three sessions without result. Amir-Abdollahian later said of the talks that the Americans left the scene when they heard a logical word and did not have a logical answer.[citation needed] He further elaborated about the beginning of the US negotiations that the US thought that they should set the agenda, but the Islamic Republic did not allow them to do so, and it was decided that the agenda should be set by agreement of the parties.[11][12]
He had a close relationship withQasem Soleimani, and this was due to two decades of responsibility in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially in the Arab and African positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran. When Soleimani became commander of theQuds Force, Amir-Abdollahian was an Iraqi expert at the Foreign Ministry. During theUS invasion of Iraq in 2003, with the overthrow of Saddam, he came to be in charge of Iraq at the State Department.
Amir-Abdollahian later during a meeting with European delegations and officials said that they should thank the Islamic Republic and Soleimani because Soleimani had contributed to world peace and security. He believed that without Soleimani, the major countries in the region would have disintegrated.[13]
Amir-Abdollahian was visiting professor at the Faculty of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[14][15]
Since 2021,Iraq has hosted five rounds of directtalks between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which cut diplomatic ties in 2016. The 6th round of talks on a ministerial level stalled, but after a meeting inAmman,Jordan, in December 2022, Abdollahian and Saudi Foreign MinisterFaisal bin Farhan Al Saud signaled that both countries would be "open to more dialogue".[16] In January 2023, Faisal speaking at a panel at theWorld Economic Forum inDavos reiterated that "Riyadh is trying to find a dialog with Iran".[17] The two countries announced the resumption of relations on 10 March 2023, following a deal brokered by China.[18] It could lead the way to easing of theIran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, thus bringing stability to Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain.[19]
Amir-Abdollahian met with the Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi in July 2023. They discussed joint work on infrastructure projects.[20]
During a meeting with UN diplomatTor Wennesland on 14 October 2023, Abdollahian warned that Iran could intervene in theGaza war if Israel launched aground invasion of Gaza.[21]
On 15 October 2023, Abdollahian met withHamas leaderIsmail Haniyeh inDoha, Qatar.[22]
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Amir-Abdollahian was married and had two children.[23]
On 19 May 2024, a helicopter carrying Amir-Abdollahian and PresidentEbrahim Raisicrashed near the town ofVarzeqan on theAzerbaijan–Iran border;[24] both were found dead at the crash site.[25] The crash was caused by bad weather conditions in theEast Azerbaijan province ofIran.[26] Following a joint funeral ceremony with other victims of the crash in Tehran, he was buried at theShah Abdol-Azim Shrine inRay on 23 May.[27][28]
Amir-Abdollahian wroteLevant's Morning (صبح شام), a narrative of the Syrian crisis.The Inefficiency of the Greater Middle East Plan (ناکارآمدی طرح خاورمیانه بزرگ) – "what is the cause of the inefficiency of the Greater Middle East Plan and its relation to the rise of the Islamic Awakening?",Conflicting US Democracy in the New Iraq (دموکراسی متعارض ایالات متحده آمریکا در عراق جدید) andDual Containment (استراتژی مهار دوگانه) – explaining the strategy of containment of Iraq and Iran.[15]
Media related toHossein Amir-Abdollahian at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related toHossein Amir-Abdollahian at Wikiquote
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