Esmail Baghaei

Esmail Baghaei Hamaneh (Persian: اسماعیل بقایی هامانه, romanized: Esmâil Bâğæi Hâmâneh), also spelt Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, is an Iranian diplomat who is the current Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran since 2 October 2024 and as of March 2026. He previously served as a senior assistant to the foreign minister from 2022 to 2024.

Baghaei holds a law degree and a master's degree in diplomacy and international organisations. He began his career at the Foreign Ministry in 2001 as a legal officer at the General Directorate for International Legal Affairs before serving as legal adviser in the Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations in New York City from 2006 until 2010. He was Iran's ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office in Geneva from 2018 until 2022.

Esmail^[1] (or Esmaeil)^[2] Baghaei Hamaneh, was born in Yazd.

He earned an LLM in international law at Shahid Beheshti University, a master's degree in diplomacy and international organisations at the School of International Relations. He later became a PhD candidate in public international law at the University of Tehran.^[2]

From 1999 to 2000, Baghaei completed specialised journalism courses in institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

Baghaei began his career in 2001 as a legal officer at the General Directorate for International Legal Affairs, within the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[2] In this role, he was responsible for following up on international legal issues and dimensions related to terrorism and organized crime, as well as issues related to combating crime and criminal justice.

Baghaei left for New York in 2006 as legal adviser in the Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations in New York City.^[2] During his tenure (2006-2010), he was also the Iranian representative on the United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee^[2][3] of the West Asia region. He was also responsible for coordinating the Legal Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement during this time.

Returning to Iran, he was appointed head of the Division for Treaties and International Law within Foreign Affairs, which he held until 2015, in which year he was appointed senior adviser to Iran's top negotiator for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.^[2][3]

Baghaei was appointed as Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations office in Geneva, as well as other international organisations there, from 2018^[2] until 2022.^[3] He attended the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2021 in this role.

After returning to Tehran, he continued to serve at the Foreign Ministry as an advisor and assistant to the Minister,^[2] then Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

On 2 October 2024, the foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appointed Baghaei as the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[1][3] He succeeded Nasser Kanaani in this position.^[3]

At Christmas 2024, he tweeted "We congratulate all the Christians of the world, especially our fellow Christians, on the birth of Jesus (PBUH) and the beginning of the new year... The celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ is an opportunity to remember the divine teachings of that great prophet who calls everyone to justice, peace and kindness".^[4]

On 19 March 2026, during the 2026 Iran war, Baghaei was interviewed by Sarah Ferguson on the Australian ABC Television current affairs program, 7.30. In the interview, he accused the United States and Israel of "terrorist acts" by assassinating Ali Khamenei and other top figures in Iran in an "illegal war" against the country. He also said that Australia's military assets in the Gulf were legitimate targets for Iran's self-defence, after the Australian Government had deployed a surveillance aircraft along with personnel and defensive air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates.^[5][6][7]

Baghaei has authored or co-authored several papers. One paper is titled "The legitimacy of the US military attack on Iraq and Afghanistan", and several are about international terrorism.^[8]