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Hossein Amir-Abdollahian

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Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Persian: حسین امیرعبداللهیان; 23 April 1964 – 19 May 2024) was an Iranian politician and diplomat who served as foreign minister of Iran from 2021 until his 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]

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
حسین امیرعبداللهیان
Amir-Abdollahian in 2023
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
25 August 2021 – 19 May 2024
PresidentEbrahim Raisi
Preceded byMohammad Javad Zarif
Succeeded byAli Bagheri (acting)
Ambassador of Iran to Bahrain
In office
21 August 2007 – 4 September 2010
PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad
Preceded byMohammad Farazmand
Succeeded byMehdi Aghajafari
Personal details
Born(1964-04-23)23 April 1964
Damghan, Imperial State of Iran
Died19 May 2024(2024-05-19) (aged 60)
near Uzi, East Azerbaijan, Iran
Cause of deathHelicopter crash
Resting placeShah Abdol-Azim Shrine, Ray, Iran
Height1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Children2
Alma materSchool of International Relations (BA)
University of Tehran (MA, PhD)

Amir-Abdollahian was special aide to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament on international affairs, Director General of International Affairs of the Islamic Consultative Assembly from the presidency of Ali Larijani to the presidency of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the International Conference on Supporting Palestine Intifada, managing director of Palestine Strategic Dialogue Quarterly.[3][4][5]

He was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister during the ministry of Ali Akbar Salehi, which was retained in the first three years of Mohammad 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]

Early life and education

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Young Amirabdollahian 1993

Amir-Abdollahian was born in 1964 in Damghan.[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 of Tehran University, and a PhD in International Relations from Tehran University.[7]

Affiliation

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Amir-Abdollahian supported the Resistance Front, which is affiliated with Hezbollah 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 of Mohammad Khatami. He was the first Iranian official to be invited to London for regional talks after the reopening of the London embassy in Tehran during Hassan Rouhani's first term, and to meet with then-British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. He detailed regional talks with Federica Mogherini on his file, and had detailed meetings with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Hezbollah-Lebanon Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.[10]

Negotiation with the United States

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He was the head of the Iranian negotiating team at the Iran-Iraq-US trilateral meeting in Baghdad 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]

Communication with Qasem Soleimani

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He had a close relationship with Qasem 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 the Quds Force, Amir-Abdollahian was an Iraqi expert at the Foreign Ministry. During the US 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]

Career

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Amir-Abdollahian was visiting professor at the Faculty of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[14][15]

Foreign minister (2021–2024)

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Since 2021, Iraq has hosted five rounds of direct talks 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 in Amman, Jordan, in December 2022, Abdollahian and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signaled that both countries would be "open to more dialogue".[16] In January 2023, Faisal speaking at a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos 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 the Iran–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 diplomat Tor Wennesland on 14 October 2023, Abdollahian warned that Iran could intervene in the Israel–Hamas war if Israel launched a ground invasion of Gaza.[21]

On 15 October 2023, Abdollahian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar.[22]

Personal life

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Amir-Abdollahian was married and had two children.[23]

Death

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Main article: 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash
 
Amir-Abdollahian (middle) and President Ebrahim Raisi (left) with Ilham Aliyev at the border with Azerbaijan, hours before their death

On 19 May 2024, a helicopter carrying Amir-Abdollahian and President Ebrahim Raisi crashed near the town of Varzeqan on the Azerbaijan–Iran border;[24] both were found dead at the crash site.[25] The crash was caused by bad weather conditions in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.[26] Following a joint funeral ceremony with other victims of the crash in Tehran, he was buried at the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in Ray on 23 May.[27][28]

Research works

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The grave of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the former Minister of Iran, The Shrine of Shah Abdol-Azim, Shahre Ray, Tehran, Iran

Amir-Abdollahian wrote Levant'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) and Dual Containment (استراتژی مهار دوگانه) – explaining the strategy of containment of Iraq and Iran.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Deputy for Arab-African Affairs". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  2. ^ "'No survivors' found at crash site involving President Ebrahim Raisi, says Iran | Fox News Video". Fox News. 20 May 2024. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Amirabdollahian became the international director general of the parliament and Shaykh al-Islam became Zarif's advisor". 24 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Palestinian Strategic Discourse Quarterly". 8 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Unity is the secret behind the Resistance's victories". 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Introduction to the biography of Dr. Hossein Amirabdollahian". Archived from the original on 16 July 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Amir-Abdollahian: The Soft Face of Iran's Hard Power". Middle East Institute. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Hacktivists Target Iran's Foreign Ministry, Leak Trove Of Data". Iran International. 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Why in Syria the word of the last option Is?". 13 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  10. ^ Dagres, Holly (23 June 2021). "What will Raisi's cabinet look like? Hardline and full of war vets". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Gravitas: Hossein Amir-Abdollahian appointed as Iran's Foreign Minister". WION. 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  12. ^ "The United States has asked Iran for help in overcoming the dangerous situation in Iraq". 6 August 2007. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  13. ^ "ناگفته‌هایی در مورد سپهبد شهید سلیمانی از زبان حسین امیرعبداللهیان". پایگاه خبری جماران (jamaran.news) (in Persian). 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Amirabdollahian became the international director-general of the parliament and Shaykh al-Islam became Zarif's advisor". 24 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  15. ^ a b "Biography of Dr. Hossein Amirabdollahian". Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  16. ^ Motamedi, Maziar (21 December 2022). "Saudi Arabia wants dialogue after Jordan meeting: Iran minister". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Davos 2023: Saudi FM says Riyadh trying to find path to dialogue with Iran" Archived 30 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine Reuters. 17 January 2023.
  18. ^ Gans, Jared (11 March 2023). "Five things to know about the Iran-Saudi deal brokered by China". The Hill. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  19. ^ Bishara, Marwan (12 March 2023). "The Saudi-Iran détente and its regional implications". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Qatar's foreign minister travels to Iran for talks". 24 July 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  21. ^ "Israel vs Hamas: Iran threatens to intervene if Israel doesn't stop attacking Gaza, says report". WION. 16 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Iranian Foreign Minister meets with Palestinian Hamas' leader in Doha". Reuters. 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a hard-line diplomat, dies in a helicopter crash". AP News. 21 May 2024. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Helicopter carrying Iran's president suffers a 'hard landing,' state TV says without further details". AP News. 19 May 2024. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  25. ^ "State media says Iranian president, foreign minister found dead at helicopter crash site". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi confirmed dead in helicopter crash". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  27. ^ Gritten, David (23 May 2024). "Iran buries late president at shrine in home city of Mashhad". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Thousands bid farewell to Iran's Raisi ahead of burial". France 24. 22 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
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