Iran appoints nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri as interim foreign minister

Following the horrific helicopter crash that killed Iran’s Foreign Minister and President, Ali Bagheri, the country’s seasoned nuclear negotiator, was named acting Foreign Minister on Monday.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the late foreign minister, had Bagheri, 56, as his deputy. He is well-known for his strong connections to Iran’s ultraconservatives and his membership in the inner circle of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Bagheri was known for his composed manner throughout his tenure, even though he took strong positions, especially when it came to denouncing intervention from the West.

Bagheri is well-versed in Iran’s nuclear dossier, a divisive topic that has soured relations between Tehran and major international players, notably Israel. He became a prominent opponent of the 2015 nuclear agreement, charging that Iran’s interests were compromised by the previous government.

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Bagheri, who was born in 1967 in the northwest Tehran village of Kan, comes from a politically engaged family. The Assembly of Experts, which was in charge of choosing the Supreme Leader, included his father, a Shiite priest. Mohammed Reza Mahdavi Kani, his uncle, oversaw the same organization in the interim.

When Baghery joined the Iranian Foreign Ministry in the 1990s, he made his first move into politics. He developed strong relationships with conservative Saeed Jalil during this time. He was Jalili’s deputy when Jalili was Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator, and they collaborated closely.

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After working for Jalili, Bagheri entered the judiciary, first as an assistant for international affairs and then as the secretary of the Human Rights Council.

In 2021, Bagheri made a comeback to the diplomatic scene when he was named chief nuclear negotiator and deputy foreign minister for political affairs.

With nuclear talks at a stalemate due to major differences, especially with the United States, Baghari’s nomination as interim foreign minister comes at a difficult moment.