Who is deceased Iranian Foreign Minister?

Iranian media reported on Monday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash in the northeast of the country on Sunday evening.

- Who is Hossein Amir-Abdollahian? -

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is a conservative Iranian diplomat, appointed by President Ebrahim Raisi as Foreign Minister after the 2021 presidential elections, gaining the confidence of the conservative parliament.

He is known for his close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and resistance movements in West Asia, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah.

- His Life and Career -

Birth and Upbringing:
Born in 1964 in Damghan, Semnan Province, east of Tehran. Raised in a religious family, his mother and older brother took over the family after his father passed away when he was six years old.

Education:
Graduated from the College of International Relations of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He joined the diplomatic corps and married in 1994, having a son and a daughter.

- Diplomatic Positions -

• Deputy Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad (1997-2001)
• Deputy of the First Department for Gulf Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for three years after returning to Iran
• Deputy Special Assistant to the Secretary of State for Iraqi Affairs following the US invasion of Iraq (2003-2006)
• Member of the Political Security Committee for nuclear negotiations with the European Troika during his last year handling Iraqi affairs
• Assistant Director General of the Gulf and Middle East Affairs Department (2006), and later Chairman of the Special Committee for Iraqi Affairs until 2007
• Ambassador to Bahrain (2007)
• Deputy Foreign Minister for Gulf and Middle Eastern Affairs in 2010, promoted to Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs (2011-2016)
• Special Assistant to the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament (2016-2021), before being appointed Foreign Minister

- Relationships and Communications -

Abdollahian is known for his close relations with the Revolutionary Guard and its leaders, especially Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, who was killed in an American raid near Baghdad International Airport in early 2020.

He also has strong connections with Islamic movements, which he developed during his tenure in Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, leading to close personal relationships with leaders of anti-occupation resistance movements, including Hezbollah.